• Scleroderma - Introduction
• Highlights
• Risk Factors
• Symptoms and Complications
• Causes
• Diagnosis
• Prognosis

Introduction

The name scleroderma comes from the Greek words skleros, which means hard, and derma, which means skin. The disease is categorized as a rheumatologic disorder because it affects the connective tissues in the body.

Scleroderma is a rare disease marked by the following:

• Damage to the cells lining the walls of small arteries
• An abnormal build-up of tough scar-like tissue in the skin

Patients with scleroderma may develop either a localized or a systemic (body-wide) form of the disease.

Locali...