Is systemic scleroderma life threatening?

Although it most often affects the skin, scleroderma also can affect many other parts of the body including the gastrointestinal tract, lungs, kidneys, heart, blood vessels, muscles and joints. Scleroderma in its most severe forms can be life-threatening.

Can systemic scleroderma be cured?

Currently, there’s no cure for scleroderma, so doctors will find the treatments that work best to decrease the severity of the specific symptoms and manage or prevent additional complications.

How is scleroderma transmitted?

Scleroderma is not contagious. It may run in families, but it often occurs in patients without any family history of the disease. It ranges from very mild to potentially fatal. Up to 1 in 3 people with the condition develop severe symptoms.

Can scleroderma go away?

A. Localized forms of scleroderma can improve or go away on their own over time, but the skin changes and damage that occur when the disease is active can be permanent.

What do you need to know about systemic sclerosis?

Systemic sclerosis, also called scleroderma, is an immune-mediated rheumatic disease that is characterised by fibrosis of the skin and internal organs and vasculopathy. Although systemic sclerosis is uncommon, it has a high morbidity and mortality. Improved understanding of systemic sclerosis has al …

What is the difference between localized scleroderma and systemic sclerosis?

Localized scleroderma (also known as morphea or linear scleroderma) Two/thirds of those diagnosed with scleroderma have the localized form, which affects the skin and not the internal organs as detailed above. Localized scleroderma does NOT evolve into systemic scleroderma.

Which is a rare subtype of systemic sclerosis?

Systemic sclerosis sine scleroderma is a rare subtype without skin sclerosis. These patients have SSc-related internal organ manifestations, Raynaud phenomenon and SSc-specific auto- antibodies.

Can you have systemic sclerosis without skin thickening?

In diffuse cutaneous SSc, the skin thickening can additionally involve the upper arms, thighs, and the trunk. It is possible to have Systemic Sclerosis without skin thickening (sine scleroderma), which is when a patient has the internal organ manifestations without the skin findings, but this is very rare.