What is scleroderma or systemic sclerosis?
Scleroderma is a generalised autoimmune disease that causes tightening and thickening of the connective tissue (sclerosis). Systemic sclerosis usually involves the skin, but sometimes it also affects the gastrointestinal tract, the lungs and the kidneys. At the same time a narrowing of the small blood vessels takes place. Because the hardening of the skin is the most typical symptom of the disease, it is called ‘scleroderma’. Since the disease also affects internal organs, the name ‘systemic sclerosis’ is more precise.
