Demographics of study cohort at baseline n=96
| Characteristic | n (%) or mean±sd |
| Sex | |
| Female | 81 (84.4) |
| Demography | |
| Age years | 56.2±12.0 |
| Body height cm | 164.5±8.6 |
| Body weight kg | 68.1±14.5 |
| BMI kg·m−2 | 25.2±4.8 |
| Vital signs | |
| Systolic blood pressure mmHg | 117.8±17.4 |
| Diastolic blood pressure mmHg | 72.0±10.8 |
| Heart rate beats per min | 76.8±12.1 |
| SSc characteristics | |
| Modified Rodnan Skin Score# | 11.9±8.8 |
| Duration months | 11.5±9.6 |
| Type of SSc¶ | |
| Diffuse cutaneous | 15 (15.6) |
| Limited cutaneous | 71 (74.0) |
| Mixed connective tissue disease | 10 (10.4) |
| WHO functional class# | |
| I | 22 (22.9) |
| II | 33 (34.4) |
| III | 31 (32.3) |
BMI: body mass index; SSc: systemic sclerosis; WHO: World Health Organization. #: Modified Rodnan Skin Score and WHO functional class as obtained in clinical examination; ¶: type of SSc as diagnosed by the treating rheumatologist.