By Shirley McIntosh Special Columnist I recently saw a movie about a lady with scleroderma. Scleroderma is a rare disease that affects connective tissues. Localized scleroderma is characterized by patches of hardened skin - often on the face, arm or leg. Systemic scleroderma affects large areas of the skin and can affect blood vessels and internal organs, including the heart, lungs, kidneys and digestive organs. Localized scleroderma often affects children and often clears up.
Systemic scleroderma gets more severe over a period of months or years.
Common symptoms include swelling of the skin, skin thickening and tightening, arthritis, weight loss, muscle pain, stiffness of hands and feet, discoloration of the skin, extreme sensitivity to cold, shortness of breath, hair loss, swallowing difficulties, heartburn and problems with the internal organs, according to the Scleroderma Research Foundation. Most victims are women ages 30 to 50. The cause is unknown, but research has shown that those who are exposed to silica dust or polyvinyl chloride are at a higher risk for developing the disease. Scleroderma is not contagious or inherited. Two out of every 10,000 people will be diagnosed with this disease, and some 300,000 Americans are afflicted with it.