Connective Tissue Diseases

The connective tissue disorders are a group of systemic rheumatic diseases characterized by a propensity for multisystem involvement early in the course of the disease, and arthropathies which tend to be mild, non-erosive and in general non-deforming. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS), the dermatomyositis—polymyositis complex (D—P complex), polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) and an overlap syndrome termed mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) are the principal disease entities in this broad spectrum of disorders.