The most classic symptom of scleroderma is a type of skin
tightening called sclerodactyly. The initial stage of
the disease involves swelling of the fingers. Later, as
the connective tissue becomes fibrotic, skin on the fingers and
toes becomes hard and shiny. The fingers can become difficult to
bend and can form contractures due to the severe tightening of the
skin.
Review Date: 03/10/2011
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine,
Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
