Fibrous tissue is deposited in the connective tissue that underlies the skin and the covering and lining of other organs - blood vessels, lungs, heart, kidneys etc. The cause is not known. Many patients recall an extended period of emotional stress prior to diagnosis. The implication being that this stress has been the 'trigger' that caused annoying 'ill-health' to develop into symptoms which made a clinical diagnosis possible. Diagnosis is difficult, certainly in the early stages.
Diagnosis is based on clinical observation and laboratory tests.
There is no specific set of symptoms or laboratory test that can point to the disease. This is usually limited to a specific area of thickened skin, although internal organs can be affected. Juvenile scleroderma which is usually localised, but may develop to systemic. Limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis, Diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis. Recent and ongoing research indicates that this may be understated by a factor of 10.