Eligibility Criteria for the Studies Included in Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
| Eligibility criteria |
| • Prevalence or case-control studies, published as full papers in peer reviewed journals or conference abstracts. |
| • Adults and children with a presumed diagnosis of Systemic sclerosis based on meeting specific diagnostic criteria |
| • Non SSc control group, referred to as ‘controls’ included “healthy asymptomatic controls” as well as “patient controls” including subjects undergoing evaluation for unexplained gastrointestinal “syndromes” (eg, dyspepsia, abdominal pain, and diarrhea). |
| • Studies reporting on efficacy data after antibiotic treatment of SIBO in SSc-patients were also included. |
| • Clinically validated methods to diagnose SIBO |
| • Participants not specially selected. |
aAmerican College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism criteria15-18 or formerly known as the American Rheumatism Association Diagnostic and Therapeutic Criteria Committee.
bLactulose breath test, glucose breath test, or jejunal aspirate and culture (or any combination of these).
SSc, systemic sclerosis; SIBO, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.