Introduction

Systemic sclerosis is a multisystemic autoimmune chronic disease, highly heterogeneous with poorly clinically defined subgroups. The two widely recognised subgroups are limited or diffuse cutaneous scleroderma, each with its particular clinical patterns, antibody profiles and differentiated survival. Cutaneous and vascular involvement are notable characteristics in the development of the illness.

Scleroderma may be induced by chemotherapeutic agents, analgesics, neuroleptic drugs or the so-called eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome.1 2 Furthermore, exposure to some chemical components may result in sclerodermiform lesions such as those provoked by plastic materials, silicone powder, prostheses and solvents among others, besides the toxic syndrome caused by the ingestion of colza oil.3

The influence of genetics on the origin of the disease has been researched, and although 1.6% of the patients have a relation of the first degree with scleroderma, the low count among twins (4.6% in both monozygotics and dizygotics) argues against a strong genetic component. In this report, we describe the rare association of linear scleroderma of the four limbs in two HIV patients also affected with virus C hepatitis.