The Connective Tissue Diseases Overlap Syndromes: 5-Year Single-Center Experience at Ibn Rochd University Hospital in Casablanca

Abstract

Overlap syndromes (OS) correspond to clinical entities characterized by the coexistence, in the same individual, of diagnostic criteria for at least two connective tissue diseases (CTDs). These manifestations can occur simultaneously or sequentially during the course of the disease. This was a retrospective descriptive observational study covering a period of five years, from January 2020 to December 2024. The research used existing medical data from the records of 15 patients treated for CTDs-OSs at the internal medicine department of Ibn Rochd University Hospital in Casablanca. Out of 1921 patients, 15 presented OSs (0.8%), with female predominance. The median age at diagnosis was 42 years, and the clinical symptomatology was dominated by Raynaud's phenomenon, polyarthritis, myositis, and skin eruptions. A complex combination of 40 CTDs was observed, including two cases of rhupus and three of sclerolupus. The prognosis was generally good after treatment. OS are complex entities requiring a multidisciplinary diagnostic approach integrating immunological markers and paraclinical complements to adapt therapeutic strategies.