Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare multisystemic connective tissue disease characterised by microvascular damage, fibrosis of the skin and internal organs and specific immunologic abnormalities. The pathogenesis of SSc is multifactorial. The clinical expression and course of the disease are very heterogeneous and may be coupled with serious morbidity and mortality. As yet no treatment exists for the disease once severe morbidity occurs. At this moment also no tools are available which predict which patients will have severe disease and which patients not. Nevertheless it would be opportune to have such a tool because it would enable the clinical rheumatologist to detect those patients who could benefit from "early" (before the complications occur) preventive targeted therapy. Capillaroscopy is a non-invasive tool with which the microcirculation at the nailfold is studied. In SSc pathognomonic changes of the microcirculation (capillaries) are present. Based on the relative prevalence of these specific changes three scleroderma patterns are distinguished in SSc. This study will investigate whether the capillaroscopy ( the scleroderma patterns) of the initial visit of a patient with SSc is predictive of new future organ involvement. If such is the case then capillaroscopy will aid the rheumatologist in detecting those patients who will benefit from early therapeutical intervention in their disease course