JUST THE FACTS FRIDAY
During Scleroderma Awareness Month, take the time to learn to recognize the signs of this serious autoimmune disease
BY:MARC LICHTER
Diagnosing the autoimmune disease called scleroderma is far fromsimple. The wide range of symptoms can lead you to taking the person inyour care to a multitude of doctors—from dentists to orthopedists todermatologists, pulmonologists, endocrinologists and more—each lookingat the symptoms individually and not necessarily putting all the piecestogether to view all the symptoms as being related to a single disease.This emphasizes the need to tell all doctors about the other doctorsyou are seeing and why, so that they may work together to form adiagnosis or direct you to a doctor who can.
Symptoms and conditions related to scleroderma include but are not limited to:
- Hardening/coarsening/itching of the skin
- Swallowing difficulties
- Reflux
- Breathing difficulties, including pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension
- Dramatic weight change
- Dry mouth
- Loosening or increasingly cavity-prone teeth
- Oral infections
- Infections at tips of fingers and toes
- Raynaud's Syndrome—a circulatory condition that causes reduced blood flow to feet and hands, especially, resulting in a feeling of extreme cold in extremities
- Sjogren's Syndrome—highlighted by dry mouth, dry eyes, and other dryness conditions that could affect breathing, swallowing and more
- Joint and bone pain, including bone reabsorption and joint inflammation
- Fatigue
The list goes on. For more information, check the Scleroderma Foundation, the International Scleroderma Network and the Scleroderma Research Foundation.