A comparison of levels of intestinal permeability markers between these two groups revealed a significantly higher concentration of LPS and claudin-3 in the group with a shorter duration of SSc than the group with a longer duration: LPS (280.75 pg/mL [167.30–403.40] versus 186.00 pg/mL [98.12–275.90], p < 0.05; Figure 2A); claudin-3 (16.99 ng/mL [12.41–39.59] versus 13.54 ng/mL [10.29–15.47], p < 0.05; Figure 2B). The gene discussed is CLDN3; the disease is systemic sclerosis.