RELATED: Bob Saget, Star of Full House and America's Funniest Home Videos, Dies at 65 There is no direct cure for scleroderma, and instead different treatments that can target the various symptoms of the disease, such as steroid creams for the skin inflammation, blood pressure medications for any lung or kidney problems, immune suppressants and over-the-counter pain relievers. And if scleroderma reaches the digestive system, it can cause heartburn, difficulty swallowing, bloating and diarrhea.
Scarring of heart tissue could lead to congestive heart failure. Scleroderma in the kidneys can lead to elevated blood pressure and rapid kidney failure.
The lungs can develop scar tissue which can make it harder to breathe. But in severe forms, called systemic scleroderma, the disease spreads through other systems in the body and 'can damage your blood vessels and internal organs, such as the heart, lungs and kidneys,' according to NIH.Īnd if scleroderma spreads through the body, it affects each organ in different ways. In mild cases, scleroderma just affects the skin. The disease causes the skin to form hard, tight patches that can grow or shrink, and sometimes suddenly disappear. Scleroderma is a rare, autoimmune connective tissue and rheumatic disease that primarily causes inflammation in the skin, and can lead to inflammation in other parts of the body, according to the National Institutes of Health.
