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Scleroderma - Highlights

Description

An in-depth report on the causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of scleroderma.

Alternative Names

Systemic sclerosis

Highlights:

Overview

Scleroderma is a rare disease marked by the following:
- Damage to the cells lining the walls of small arteries
- An abnormal buildup 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.

Prognosis

The prognosis for patients with systemic scleroderma has improved since the 1970s. Ten-year survival rates are up, and deaths from kidney crises have dropped. However, deaths from pulmonary fibrosis have increased during this time period.

Symptoms

Raynaud's phenomenon is often the first sign of scleroderma. With this condition, small blood vessels narrow in the fingers, toes, ears, and even the nose.
The primary symptoms of scleroderma occur in the skin.
In severe cases, the lungs may be affected, causing shortness of breath or difficulty in taking deep breaths. Shortness of breath may be a symptom of pulmonary hypertension, an uncommon but life-threatening complication of systemic scleroderma.
Signs of kidney problems, such as increased levels of protein in the urine and mild high blood pressure (hypertension), are common in scleroderma.

Treatment

High-dose immunosuppressant therapy with cyclophosphamide significantly improved skin and overall function in patients with scleroderma.
Imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) has show promising results in the treatment of scleroderma. Several clinical trials are currently studying this drug's potential as an actual treatment for the disease, instead of treating just its symptoms.
The most effective approach at this time for preventing scleroderma-related kidney crises is to start aggressive blood pressure-lowering treatment before blood tests show kidney damage has occurred.

Resources

www.scleroderma.org -- Scleroderma Foundation
www.srfcure.org -- Scleroderma Research Foundation
www.arthritis.org -- The Arthritis Foundation
www.niams.nih.gov -- National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
www.rheumatology.org -- American College of Rheumatology
www.sclero.org -- International Scleroderma Network
www.sctc-online.org -- Scleroderma Clinical Trials Consortium
www.phassociation.org -- Pulmonary Hypertension Association
www.thoracic.org -- American Thoracic Society

References

Badesch DB, Abman SH, Simonneau G, Rubin LJ, McLaughlin VV. Medical therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension: updated ACCP evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. Chest. 2007;131:1917-1928.

Feldman M, Friedman LS, Brandt LJ. Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders; 2006.

Henness S, Wigley FM. Current drug therapy for scleroderma and secondary Raynaud's phenomenon: evidence-based review. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2007;19:611-618.

Knobler RM, French LE, Kim Y, Bisaccia E, Graninger W, Nahavandi H, et al. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of photopheresis in systemic sclerosis. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2006;54:793-799.

Kreuter A, Hyun J, Stücker M, Sommer A, Altmeyer P, Gambichler T. A randomized controlled study of low-dose UVA1, medium-dose UVA1, and narrowband UVB phototherapy in the treatment of localized scleroderma. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2006;54:440-447.

Nash RA, McSweeney PA, Crofford LJ, et al. High-dose immunosuppressive therapy and autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation for severe systemic sclerosis: long-term follow-up of the US multicenter pilot study. Blood. 2007;110:1388-1396.

Nihtyanova SI, Denton CP. Current Approaches to the Management of Early Active Diffuse Scleroderma Skin Disease.Rheumatic Dis Clin North Am. 2008;34(1):34(1):161-79; viii

Ostojic P, Cerinic MM, Silver R, Highland K, Damjanov N. Interstitial lung disease in systemic sclerosis. Lung. 2007;185:211-220.

Rubin LJ. Treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Due to Scleroderma: Challenges for the Future.Rheumatic Dis Clin North Am. 2008;34(1):191-197; viii.

Schachna L, Medsger TA Jr., Dauber JH, Wigley FM, Braunstein NA, White B, et al. Lung transplantation in scleroderma compared with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. Arthritis Rheum. 2006;54:3954-3961.

Shoenfeld Y, Katz U. IVIg therapy in autoimmunity and related disorders: our experience with a large cohort of patients. Autoimmunity. 2005 Mar;38(2):123-37.

Steen VD. Pregnancy in scleroderma. Rheum Dis Clin North Am. 2007;33:345-358.

Tashkin DP, Elashoff R, Clements PJ, et al. Cyclophosphamide versus placebo in scleroderma lung disease. N Engl J Med. 2006; 354(25):2655-66.

Thombs BD, Taillefer SS, Hudson M, Baron M. Depression in patients with systemic sclerosis: a systematic review of the evidence. Arthritis Rheum. 2007;57:1089-1097.

Tyndall A, Furst DE. Adult stem cell treatment of scleroderma. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2007;19:604-610.

Wigley FM. Scleroderma (Systemic Sclerosis). In: Goldman L, Ausiello D. Goldman: Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders, 2008. pp. 2032-2041.

Reviewed last on: 3/17/2009
Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

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