Scleroderma – Causes, Symptoms and Treatments

Scleroderma – Causes, Symptoms and Treatments that we should know. Furthermore,  Scleroderma is a chronic inflammatory disease of connective tissue that involves changes in the skin, blood vessels, muscles, and internal organs. Scleroderma  is a type of autoimmune disease, a problem that occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy tissue in the body .

There are two types of scleroderma:

• Localized Scleroderma: Localized  Scleroderma usually  only affects the skin of the hands and face. Localized  Scleroderma  develops slowly and rarely spreads throughout the body or causes serious complications.
• Systemic Scleroderma: Also called Systemic Scleroderma , this type of Scleroderma can affect large areas of the skin or organs such as the heart, lungs, and kidneys. There are two main types of Systemic Scleroderma : limited disease (CREST syndrome) and diffuse disease.

Causes of Scleroderma:  The cause of Scleroderma is unknown, people with Scleroderma have a buildup of collagen in the skin and other organs in the body. This accumulation leads to the appearance of the symptoms of Scleroderma .

Disseminated scleroderma can occur with other autoimmune diseases, including lupus and polymyositis. In such cases, Scleroderma is called mixed connective tissue disease.

Symptoms of Scleroderma:  The first symptoms of Scleroderma start in the hands and after months or years pass to the face, leaving the skin hardened, without elasticity and without wrinkles, which also makes it difficult to fully open the mouth. See below for other symptoms of  Scleroderma:

• hair loss;
• Skin stiffness;
• Abnormally fair or dark skin;
• Thickening of the skin, stiffness and hardening of the fingers, hands and forearm;
• Small white lumps under the skin that sometimes release a white substance
• Sores (ulcers) on the tips of the fingers or toes;
• Tight and tight facial skin.

Breathing problems can be a result of scleroderma  scarring on the lungs and can also include:

• Dry cough;
• Shortness of breathe;
• Panting breath.

Symptoms of Scleroderma  in bones and muscles can include:

• Joint pain;
• Numbness and pain in the feet ;
• Pain, stiffness and swelling in the fingers and joints;
• Wrist pain.

Scleroderma  problems in the digestive tract can include:

• Swelling after meals;
• Cold;
• Diarrhea;
• Difficulty swallowing;
• Esophageal reflux or heartburn;
• Problems controlling stool (fecal incontinence).

Complications of Scleroderma:  The main complications of Scleroderma are:

• Difficulty moving the fingers;
• Difficulty swallowing;
• Difficulty breathing ;
• Anemia;
• Arterial hypertension ;
• Liver inflammation;
• Arthritis;
• Heart problems, such as inflammation and heart attack;
• Renal insufficiency.

These complications appear after years of development of Scleroderma , and mainly occur in the systemic form of Scleroderma .

 Diagnosis of Scleroderma: Early and adequate diagnosis and treatment of Scleroderma can minimize symptoms and decrease the possibility of irreversible organ damage, but since  Scleroderma  has symptoms similar to those of other autoimmune diseases, the differential diagnosis between them can become difficult. .

Diagnosing Scleroderma requires a good medical history, a thorough physical exam, blood studies, and various other specialized tests, depending on the organs affected by Scleroderma .

Treatment of Scleroderma:  There is no treatment that leads to a cure for Scleroderma . As already mentioned, the forms limited to the skin may have spontaneous regression after a few years. Systemic scleroderma is aslow but permanent disease. Scleroderma treatment aims to relieve symptoms and reduce Scleroderma activity .