Scleroderma is an autoimmune disease that is linked with the connective tissue. The symptoms that go on to indicate that the person has Scleroderma are the thickening of the skin, scarring, inflammation and a suppressed or an overactive immune system.

The way it works is that the autoimmune system when overactive attacks the body’s tissues.
 
The first thing that can make you suspect that you might have Scleroderma is the scar tissue like formation on the skin or organs all over the body. The other term that is used by the medical profession when Scleroderma is spread all over the body is systemic sclerosis.

Scleroderma and what causes it is unknown as in spite of lots of research that has been conducted on it, the main factors that cause it are unknown.

However, the main fingers point at the culprit being the environment. There can be some triggers in the environment that can go on to activate the occurrence of Scleroderma in the body. Also, some individuals are more predisposed to it than others. This can cause them to have scarring of the tissues.

In Scleroderma and its occurrence there is also the role of genes and a person’s DNA that makes them predisposed to Scleroderma. Therefore, Scleroderma can run in families. For instance, Native Americans have the highest reported cases of Scleroderma.

There are different ways in which the treatment is prescribed for Scleroderma based on the degree of the occurrence and the place where it occurs. The main ways that it is classified is whether it is diffused all over the body or is localized. The thing with Scleroderma is that there can be other side effects associated with it since it affects the organs. This could be the heart, kidneys, and esophagus and so on. One of the most common and dangerous side effects of Scleroderma is high blood pressure.

Also, the mobility of the person is curbed as the skin thickens around the joints especially on the fingers. There is a particular clinical pattern that Scleroderma follows and that is why it is called crest at times for the way it progresses. There are several different symptoms that are present in a patient who has Scleroderma because of the different types that are there. The symptoms might not be linked to only one specific area or localized but be spread all over the body.

The other symptoms that are there for Scleroderma are inflammation, swelling and itching that are also associated with tenderness and pain in specific regions. This can lead to the skin tightening and hardening at certain places.

The most common places for Scleroderma to strike one are the fingers, feet, neck and face. This in turn will lead to lessening of mobility in these areas. The way Scleroderma is diagnosed is by clinical evidence as well as a blood test that can tell about the autoimmunity and the antibodies present in the blood.