It affects every aspect of the patient's life and can be disfiguring and disabling. Although there are no treatments that cure scleroderma, there are medications and treatment for the various problems encountered. Our Center is dedicated to finding new treatment and to ending the suffering caused by scleroderma. Since 1990 the Center has seen over 800 patients. They are referred initially to be seen by either Dr. Wigley or Dr. White in the Hopkins Bayview Outpatient Center.
Consultation is provided to the primary care physician and directly to the patient.
Patients are managed at the Center in conjunction with other specialists at Johns Hopkins or the University of Maryland. Gwen Leatherman, R.N., provides experienced nursing care, manages the Center. Scleroderma is a multisystem disease and so experts in rheumatology, pulmonary medicine, cardiology, renal medicine, gastroenterology, dermatology, plastic surgery, physical therapy, behavioral medicine, and psychiatry work together to provide comprehensive care. Each of these specialists has extensive experience in dealing with the scleroderma patient because of the existence of the Center. The Center is involved in clinical and basic research to discover the cause and best treatment for scleroderma.