Scleroderma, an autoimmune issue – Important things to know!!

In some persons, hardening and tightening of their skin and connective tissues etc would take place and this is scleroderma. This scleroderma is an autoimmune condition causing inflammation and injury to the cells present in our blood vessels. It is also called systemic sclerosis. Those with this autoimmune issue would have signs like hard thickened tight skin, dry skin, hair loss, stiff joints etc. This occurs in the age group 30 to 50 mostly and it occurs very rarely in the children.

Types of scleroderma:

There are 2 types of scleroderma that would occur in us. First is limited cutaneous that would impact skin on our hands, face, feet etc leading to thickened patches. Second type is diffuse cutaneous scleroderma that would reach our internal organs such as lungs, heart etc.

Various causes:

It is true that the exact reason for scleroderma is not known. Various factors that can lead to scleroderma in us are genetics, environmental and overactive immune system etc.

Why do women get affected mostly?

Hormonal fluctuations, genetic dispositions and differences in immune responses are the reasons why women could get this use more when compared to men. It is believed that estrogen`s influence on the immune system could make a woman more prone to this autoimmune issue.

Diagnosis and Treatment:

This autoimmune issue can be diagnosed by checking for thickened areas on the skin, by pressing on tendons and joints to know about the changes associated with scleroderma, looking at fingernails under the microscope for swollen small blood vessels etc.

Normally, doctors prescribe certain medications to treat scleroderma. By means of physiotherapy, joint mobility can be maintained plus muscle stiffness could be overcome. It is necessary to eat a well balanced diet plus do exercises regularly and quit smoking etc.