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Nailfold capillaroscopy (NFC) is a reproducible, simple, low-cost, and safe imaging technique used for morphological analysis of nail bed capillaries. It is considered to be extremely useful for the investigation of Raynaud's phenomenon and for the early diagnosis of systemic sclerosis (SSc). The capillaroscopic pattern typically associated with SSc, scleroderma ("SD") pattern, is characterized by dilated capillaries, microhemorrhages, avascular areas and/or capillary loss, and distortion of the capillary architecture. The aim of these recommendations is to provide orientation regarding the relevance of NFC, and to establish a consensus on the indications, nomenclature, the interpretation of NFC findings and the technical equipments that should be used. These recommendations were formulated based on a systematic literature review of studies included in the database MEDLINE (PubMed) without any time restriction.

Background: Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus seem to belong to different serological and clinical subgroups of the disease. Genetic background can cause the appearance of these subgroups., Objective: To determine whether Brazilian patients who have systemic lupus erythematosus and Raynaud's phenomenon differ from those who do not., Methods: Retrospective analysis of 373 medical records of systemic lupus erythematosus patients studied for demographic, clinical and serological data. A comparative analysis was performed of individuals with and without RP., Results: There was a positive association between Raynaud's phenomenon and age at diagnosis (p=0.02), presence of anti-Sm (p=0.01) antibodies and anti-RNP (p<0.0001). Furthermore, a negative association was found between Raynaud's phenomenon and hemolysis (p=0.01), serositis (p=0.01), glomerulonephritis (p=0.0004) and IgM aCL (p=0.004) antibodies., Conclusion: Raynaud's phenomenon patients appear to belong to a systemic lupus erythematosus subset with a spectrum of clinical manifestations located in a more benign pole of the disease.