At what age is scleroderma usually diagnosed?
At what age is scleroderma usually diagnosed?
Scleroderma is a rare autoimmune disorder. Also known as systemic sclerosis, or SS, the condition typically appears in middle age, often between ages 30 and 50.
What is the root cause of scleroderma?
Scleroderma results from an overproduction and accumulation of collagen in body tissues. Collagen is a fibrous type of protein that makes up your body’s connective tissues, including your skin. Doctors don’t know exactly what causes this process to begin, but the body’s immune system appears to play a role.
Who typically gets scleroderma?
Anyone can get scleroderma. It usually happens in women and in people who are ages 35 to 55. Other things that might raise your risk include: Certain changes in your genes.
Can scleroderma run in families?
Genetics plays a role in the disease, but it is not passed on from parents to children, and it’s rare for immediate family members of those with scleroderma to get it. It is common for family members, however, to have other autoimmune diseases such as thyroid disease, rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.
What can be mistaken for scleroderma?
However, similar features of hard and thick skin can be seen in other conditions which are often referred to as “scleroderma mimics”. These mimics include eosinophilic fasciitis, nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, scleromyxedema, and scleredema among others.
Does scleroderma run in families?
Can you prevent scleroderma?
There is no treatment that can cure or stop the overproduction of collagen that is characteristic of scleroderma.
Who is at risk for scleroderma?
Middle age, female sex, positive family history and exposure to silica are risk factors for scleroderma. Infectious agents, alcohol and cigarette smoking are not risk factors for scleroderma development.
How can scleroderma be prevented?
Take good care of dry or stiff skin by using lotion and sunscreen regularly. Avoid hot baths and showers and exposure to strong soaps and household chemicals, which can irritate and further dry out your skin. Don’t smoke. Nicotine causes blood vessels to contract, making Raynaud’s disease worse.
Is scleroderma always fatal?
The skin hardening and tightening is limited usually just to the fingers and sometimes the hands, forearms or the face. Internal organ damage is less likely in the limited scleroderma type. In general, patients with limited scleroderma have a normal life expectancy.
Can you have a baby if you have scleroderma?
Scleroderma affects about 40,000 to 165,000 people in the United States. It often appears in women of childbearing age (16 to 44). With the right prenatal care, many women with scleroderma can have healthy pregnancies and babies.
Is scleroderma worse than lupus?
Patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) have worse health-related quality of life than patients with other systemic rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a Korean study found.
What were your first symptoms of scleroderma?
Symptoms of scleroderma may include:
- Thickening and swelling of the fingers.
- Pale fingers that may become numb and tingle when exposed to cold or stress, known as Raynaud’s phenomenon.
- Joint pain.
- Taut, shiny, darker skin on large areas, which can cause problems with movement.
What foods make scleroderma worse?
Avoid foods that may aggra- vate symptoms such as citrus fruits, tomato products, greasy fried foods, coffee, garlic, onions, peppermint, gas-producing foods (such as raw peppers, beans, broccoli or raw onions), spicy foods, carbonated beverages and alcohol.
Does scleroderma cause weight gain?
Acute localized scleroderma (morphea) can present as severe generalized oedema with rapid weight gain and oliguria.
What tests confirm scleroderma?
Antinuclear antibody (ANA) testing is the most important blood test to screen for scleroderma and other connective tissue diseases.
Does scleroderma make you gain weight?
How do you reverse scleroderma?
There is no cure for scleroderma. Medications can treat symptoms and prevent complications. Making changes to your lifestyle and diet can make living with the disease easier.
What is the prognosis for scleroderma?
Scleroderma is not contagious, infectious, cancerous or malignant. Scleroderma has no cure, but symptoms and damage can be reduced with proper treatment. It’s estimated that about 300,000 Americans have scleroderma.
Is scleroderma genetically inherited?
These findings suggest a hereditary (genetic) component to scleroderma and other autoimmune disorders. Environmental factors could also put people at risk for scleroderma. For example, men exposed to silica appear to have a higher risk for developing scleroderma and certain drugs are capable of causing a scleroderma-like reaction. EARLY SYMPTOMS
Where does scleroderma usually start?
Where does scleroderma usually start? Another early sign of systemic scleroderma is puffy or swollen hands before thickening and hardening of the skin due to fibrosis. Skin thickening usually occurs first in the fingers (called sclerodactyly) and may also involve the hands and face.
What are the possible complications of scleroderma?
Plateaus. Some patients may have a time when their condition stabilizes.
