![]() ![]() In some patients, the disease is localized and purely a skin disorder, at times characterized by isolated patches of thickened, scarred, tight skin. Systemic scleroderma is also known as systemic sclerosis (SSc) or “generalized scleroderma” and can lead to serious or even life-threatening organ damage and complications. There are two basic types, each of which has various subtypes: Localized scleroderma (affecting only the skin) is a milder type, while systemic scleroderma (affecting the internal organs), is much more dangerous. What are the different types of scleroderma? Systemic scleroderma can lead to pulmonary fibrosis (increased tissue in the lung that can disrupt respiration), pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the arteries that carry blood from the heart to the lungs) and scleroderma renal crisis, which can cause kidney failure, heart failure and other deadly conditions. But systemic scleroderma is the most lethal of all rheumatic conditions due to the way it can affect organ systems. Mild forms of scleroderma may disrupt quality of life but poses no danger. In some people, certain scleroderma-like lung diseases have occurred after exposures to certain toxins or chemotherapy agents to treat cancer, such as bleomycin. Other cases of scleroderma-like diseases have developed in people who consumed adulterated food containing L tryptophan (an amino acid that is essential to building our bodily proteins, and which we absorb from food). Some scleroderma-like illnesses have also been associated with environmental exposures, such as an outbreak of scleroderma-like illness in Spain in people who had ingested a toxic rapeseed oil. What causes scleroderma?Īs with most autoimmune diseases, the exact cause is unknown, although in many patients it may be multifactorial, arising from a combination of congenital processes and environmental agents. This overproduction leads to fibrosis – an increase of tissue volume – of the skin or of tissues of the lungs or other organs. This manifests as an overproduction of collagen, a protein that is a building block of connective tissues. It is a chronic condition in which the immune system mistakenly attacks and damages your own body. Scleroderma is an autoimmune disorder that can lead to a tightening or hardening of the skin and other soft, connective tissues. ![]() Should I see a dermatologist or rheumatologist?.Is it triggered by environmental factors?. ![]()
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