{"id":1536,"date":"2020-05-12T12:42:43","date_gmt":"2020-05-12T12:42:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.blog.kayawell.com\/?p=1536"},"modified":"2020-05-18T06:29:25","modified_gmt":"2020-05-18T06:29:25","slug":"scleroderma-symptoms-causes-risk-factors-and-precautions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/scleroderma-symptoms-causes-risk-factors-and-precautions","title":{"rendered":"Scleroderma- Symptoms, Causes, Risk Factors and Precautions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Overview<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Scleroderma\n(sklair-oh-DUR-muh) is a group of rare diseases, including skin and connective\ntissue hardening and tightening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Scleroderma\naffects women more often than men and occurs most often between 30 and 50 years\nof age. While scleroderma is not healed, a number of treatments can reduce the\nsymptoms and improve quality of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are a\nnumber of different kinds of scleroderma. Scleroderma affects only the skin, in\nsome cases. But scleroderma also affects tissues outside the skin in many\ncases, such as blood vessels, internal organs and the digestive tract (systemic\nscleroderma). Symptoms and signs vary, depending on what type of scleroderma\nyou have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_73 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\r\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\r\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\r\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\r\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/scleroderma-symptoms-causes-risk-factors-and-precautions\/#Symptoms\" title=\"Symptoms\">Symptoms<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/scleroderma-symptoms-causes-risk-factors-and-precautions\/#Causes\" title=\"Causes\">Causes<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/scleroderma-symptoms-causes-risk-factors-and-precautions\/#Risk_factors\" title=\"Risk factors\">Risk factors<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/scleroderma-symptoms-causes-risk-factors-and-precautions\/#Complications\" title=\"Complications\">Complications<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Symptoms\"><\/span>Symptoms<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The signs\nand symptoms of scleroderma differ depends to which parts of the body are\naffected:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Skin:<\/strong> Nearly all\nthose with scleroderma undergo a hardening and tightening of skin patches.\nThese patches can be formed like ovals or straight lines, or they can cover\nlarge trunk and limb areas. The number, position, and size of the patches vary\nby scleroderma type. The skin may appear shiny because it&#8217;s so tight, and the\naffected area may be limited in movement.<\/li><li><strong>Fingers or Toes<\/strong>: Raynaud&#8217;s\ndisease is one of the earliest signs of systemic scleroderma which causes the\nsmall blood vessels in your fingers and toes to contract in response to cold\ntemperatures or emotional distress. Your fingers or toes can turn blue when this\nhappens, or feel painful or numb. Raynaud&#8217;s disease also occurs in those\nwithout scleroderma.<\/li><li><strong>Digestive System:<\/strong> Depending\non which part of the digestive tract is affected, scleroderma can cause a\nvariety of digestive symptoms. When it affects the oesophagus you may have\nheartburn or trouble swallowing. You can get cramps, bloating, diarrhea or\nconstipation if the intestines are affected. Some people with scleroderma can\nalso have trouble consuming nutrients if their intestinal muscles don&#8217;t pass food\nthrough the intestines properly.<\/li><li><strong>Heart, Lungs\nor Kidneys:<\/strong> Scleroderma may affect the function of the heart, lungs or\nkidneys to a varying degree. Such conditions can become life-threatening if\nleft untreated.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Causes\"><\/span>Causes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Scleroderma\nis the result of an overproduction and collagen accumulation in body tissues.\nCollagen is a type of fibrous protein that makes up the connective tissues of\nyour body including your skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Doctors\ndon&#8217;t know exactly what causes the irregular development of collagen to start, but\nthe body&#8217;s immune system seems to play a role. Most likely, a combination of\nfactors causes scleroderma, including issues with the immune system, genetics\nand environmental triggers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Risk_factors\"><\/span>Risk factors<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Anyone can\nget scleroderma but in women, it occurs much more frequently than in men. The\nchance of developing scleroderma seems to be affected by several combined\nfactors:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Genetics:<\/strong> People with\ncertain variations of the genes appear to be more likely to develop\nscleroderma. This can explain why a limited number of cases of scleroderma tend\nto be occurring in families and why certain forms of scleroderma are more\ncommon in certain ethnic groups. Choctaw Native Americans, for instance, are\nmore likely to acquire the form of scleroderma that affects the internal\norgans.<\/li><li><strong>Environmental\nTriggers<\/strong>:\nResearch suggests that exposure to certain viruses, medicines, or drugs can\ncause scleroderma symptoms in some people. Repeated exposure to such toxic\nsubstances or chemicals \u00e2\u20ac\u201d such as at work \u00e2\u20ac\u201d can also raise the risk of\nscleroderma.<\/li><li><strong>Immune System\nProblems:<\/strong>\nIt is suspected that scleroderma is an autoimmune condition. This means it\noccurs in part because the body&#8217;s immune system begins destroying the\nconnective tissues. An individual with scleroderma also has symptoms of another\nautoimmune disorder in 15 to 20 per cent of cases, such as rheumatoid\narthritis, lupus, or Sjogren&#8217;s syndrome.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Complications\"><\/span>Complications<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Complications\nof scleroderma vary from mild to extreme, and can affect:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Fingertips:<\/strong> The variety of Raynaud&#8217;s disease that occurs with systemic\nscleroderma can be so serious that the limited blood flow permanently affects\nthe on fingertips the tissue, creating pits or sores of the skin. In some\ncases, the fingertip tissue may die and require amputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Lungs:<\/strong> Lung tissue scarring can result in decreased lung function, which\ncan affect your breathing ability and exercise tolerance. High blood pressure\nin the arteries to your lungs can also build.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Kidneys:<\/strong> You can develop elevated blood pressure and an increased level of\nprotein in your urine when scleroderma affects your kidneys. More severe kidney\ncomplications effects may involve renal crisis, causing a sudden rise in blood\npressure and rapid failure of the kidneys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Heart:<\/strong> Scarring of heart tissue increases your risk of abnormal\nheartbeats and congestive heart failure and can cause inflammation of your\nheart&#8217;s membrane sac. Scleroderma can also increase the pressure on your\nheart&#8217;s right side and cause it to wear out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Teeth:<\/strong> Severe stretching of the facial skin will make the mouth small\nand narrow, which can make it harder to brush your teeth or even get them\ncleaned professionally. People who have scleroderma also do not produce regular\nquantities of saliva, and there is an even greater chance of dental decay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Digestive System:<\/strong> Scleroderma-related digestive problems can\ncause heartburn and trouble swallowing. Also, it may cause cramp spells,\nbloating, constipation, or diarrhea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sexual Function:<\/strong> Men with scleroderma can get erectile\ndysfunction. Scleroderma may also affect women&#8217;s sexual function by reducing\nsexual lubrication and restricting vaginal opening.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Overview Scleroderma (sklair-oh-DUR-muh) is a group of rare diseases, including skin and connective tissue hardening and tightening. Scleroderma affects women more often than men and occurs most often between 30 and 50 years of age. While scleroderma is not healed, a number of treatments can reduce the symptoms and improve quality of life. There are [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1540,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthcare"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1536"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1536\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}