disease
Scleroderma: definition, causes and symptoms
Scleroderma refers to connective tissue hardening. The word is Greek and stands for hard (skleros) and skin (derma). "Limited" forms often affect only hands and feet. Skin changes everyone knows. For example, cornification after heavy exercise or redness due to irritation. People with scleroderma suffer from no obvious cause of hardening of certain areas of the skin. It is an autoimmune disease in which immune cells are likely to be targeted for a genetic defect in the body's own tissues. This inflammatory processes are triggered. The symptoms can be local, but also spread more and more. Because the skin is tight, mobility restrictions are possible. If the connective tissue of internal organs thickened, it can lead to a weakening of heart muscle or lung. The kidneys and digestive organs are also affected in some cases. Patients often have few of the possible symptoms. Cures (edema) on the hands and feet are common. Cures often look like a reddish spot at first and later have a smooth appearance. The mouth can contract, which makes eating and speaking difficult. Not infrequently occur reddish veins on the face and circulatory disorders in fingers and toes. If the esophagus is affected, swallowing may occur. Also heart or breathing problems are possible.
Scleroderma: treatment
If only the skin is affected, scleroderma is most easily controlled by medication. Physiotherapy, massages and other physiotherapeutic remedies are also important.
Scleroderma: prevention and self-help
There is no way to prevent scleroderma because the causes of the disease are unknown. However, it is possible to detect problems associated with scleroderma at an early stage and alleviate the symptoms. For this it is important to consciously examine your skin for changes and blood circulation. In addition, one should regularly check (let) his blood pressure and breathing. Suffering from circulatory disorders, abstinence from nicotine is effective. Further tips on scleroderma can be found at www.sklerodermie-selbsthilfe.de.
