Scleroderma is a chronic rheumatic disease and a connective tissue disorder. The term comes from a combination of two Greek words: “sclera” which means “hard”, and “derma” – “skin”. Indeed, the hardened outer tissue is the most common and visible symptom of the disease, though, in many patients, the damage is more than skin-deep. Though scientists still don’t know what exactly causes scleroderma, it is thought to be an autoimmune condition which means that the body’s own immune system attacks the tissues. How exactly? By producing too much collagen. And it may come as a surprise to you, because thanks to media advertisement, our minds link collagen with healthy and youthful skin. Collagen is a type of protein that makes up the basis of our connective tissues. An excessive amount of it causes them to thicken and harden, losing elasticity, forming scars and fibrosis. In severe cases, the damage can be even fatal. Scleroderma disease is not contagious and not necessarily hereditary. N
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