Scleroderma: Education is the Key.

By, Dana Tanner

Scleroderma is a disease that is in the process of being understood fully.

The more we know, the faster we can find a cure.• What do we know?

– No one knows what causes scleroderma. – It is a disease that causes an abnormal growth of

connective tissue, the proteins that support your skin and organs.

– There are two main types. • Localized scleroderma affects only your skin. • Systemic scleroderma affects your blood vessels

and internal organs, as well as your skin. – There is no cure, but various treatments can relieve

symptoms

There are people in the U.S. that don’t know they have Scleroderma.How can a person find out if they have Scleroderma?• A diagnosis could take months as the disease develops

and as the doctor tried to rule out other possible causes for the symptoms a person is having. The person’s doctor will use their medical history and a physical exam to determine a diagnosis.

• The doctor will order some laboratory tests. These tests will evaluate a persons blood counts and kidney function. The presence of certain antibodies in your blood can help confirm a suspected diagnosis. Although, the lab tests can help diagnose a person, with out physical symptoms it is hard to do so.

Treatment is different for each individual. • No treatment had been proven effective at impacting the

over production of collagen that creates scleroderma. However, several treatments are very effective at preventing and/or reducing organ damage from this disease. Because systemic sclerosis is a complicated disease that can affect many different organs, you may need to be treated by several different physicians at different times.

Learn more! You could help save a life!

How has knowing more about Scleroderma helped today?• We have learned that scleroderma is not contagious. • While the amputation of fingers and toes is sometimes

still unavoidable, these procedures are rarely necessary because of the availability of many new treatments that target specific tissues and nerves.

• Other health specialists become involved if particular organs are affected: for example, cardiologists for heart problems, pulmonologists for lung complications, and gastroenterologists for digestive tract issues.