Antacids and diet are key to prevention. Eating small amounts of soft food divided into five meals a day while standing or sitting upright and waiting 3 to 4 hours before lying down afterward are critical. Avoid gas-producing foods, alcohol, and smoking. Use a cup of yogurt with acidophilus and live cultures to aid digestion. Rarely, the lower gastrointestinal tract may be affected, leading to slowed motility causing constipation and an overgrowth of bacteria, which in turn results in diarrhea that must be treated with antibiotics.
Fibrosis is the accumulation of thick, rigid tissue in response to chronic inflammation.
Scleroderma is named for its characteristic skin fibrosis, which usually begins in the fingers and progresses up the arms, sometimes within a few weeks, sometimes over years. By the time the arms are affected, so are the legs. During the first stages of skin tightening, occupational and physical therapy are crucial interventions to improve and prevent debilitating, irreversible contractures of the fingers. Skin fibrosis normally worsens during the first 2 to 5 years, and then improves. If this occurs, exercise must be stopped and steroid therapy may be used.