Effects of Scleroderma on the body
Learn about the different effects systemic sclerosis can have on your body
The Skin in Scleroderma
For most people, scleroderma causes problems with the skin. These symptoms can include:
- patches of thick, hard skin that may become discoloured
- itching
- tight skin that makes it harder to move your joints
- hard lumps of calcium under your skin (calcinosis)
- tiny blood vessels (spider veins) appearing just beneath your skin, called telangiectasia
- digital ulcers
Localised Scleroderma
Localised scleroderma can come on gradually over months, or more quickly over a period of a few weeks. For many people there are no symptoms at all. Everyone’s experience of localised scleroderma is different. It depends on what type you have, how severe it is and what parts of your body are affected.
Skin changes
- Sometimes the skin can be itchy, burning, or sore.
- Thickened skin may become fixed and ‘stuck down’ across a joint such as the wrists, ankles, knees or elbows. This can restrict growth and mobility.
Deep tissue involvement
- Involvement of deeper tissues on the face can lead to distortion of the natural facial contour and altered facial appearance.
- Fatigue, joint pain and muscle aches.
- Hair loss over the affected area, headaches and more rarely, epilepsy can occur.
- The eyes and teeth can occasionally be affected, so it is important to have both a dental and an eye assessment if this is possibility.
Systemic Sclerosis
Raynaud’s is often the first symptom of systemic sclerosis. It may precede other symptoms by 10 years.
If you are concerned about you Raynaud’s we recommend speaking to your GP about further tests. Find out information on testing here.
Other signs and symptoms:
- Tight, hardened skin: All patients with systemic sclerosis (except those with sine sclerosis) will develop some skin changes. However, the severity and the problems created by the changes will vary greatly between patients. Most commonly is the tightening and hardening of the skin, often around joints.
- Itching: Some people find this gets better with time. Keeping the skin moisturised can help.
- Calcinosis: Tiny calcium deposits that can develop under the skin. They may be tender or become infected.
- Digital ulcers: Painful sores on fingers and toes that can become painful and infected.
- Telangiectasia: Red spots or lines on skin caused by the swelling of tiny blood vessels near the skin’s surface. They are not painful and occur primarily on the hands and face.
- Swallowing difficulties: Poor functioning of the muscles in the upper and lower oesophagus can make swallowing difficult and allow stomach acids to back up into the oesophagus, leading to acid reflux, heartburn, inflammation and scarring of oesophageal tissues.
- GI Tract involvement: Scarring or fibrosis occurring within the GI tract. It is thought to affect around 90% of people diagnosed, with its degree varying from person-to-person.
- Lung involvement: Scarring or fibrosis occurring within the lungs. Not everyone with SSc has lung involvement, however lung disease is found in more than half of patients with SSc, with its degree varying from person-to-person.
- Heart involvement: For most people with systemic sclerosis, any involvement of the heart is so mild that it is very difficult to be sure whether it is present or not. For others it can be more severe.
- Kidney involvement: Any kidney or renal involvement in systemic sclerosis may be mild or very serious in nature.
- Mouth: The mouth can be affected in many ways, most commonly, skin tightening around the mouth, microstomia.
- Fatigue: Managing fatigue is a common problem for many people with scleroderma.
