ABSTRACT

Scleroderma (literally "hard skin") is an umbrella term that covers most forms of thickened, sclerotic skin, including both localized (morphea, linear scleroderma, many others) and generalized (limited, diffuse) variants. Generalized scleroderma is synonymous with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Systemic sclerosis, the third most common connective tissue disease and the most lethal, affects the diffuse connective tissues and is associated with immune (autoimmune), vascular, microvascular, and fibrotic manifestations. The diagnosis, when the disease is fully expressed, can be made by visual and certainly by tactile observations alone. In its early prodromal phases, however, SSc usually begins with Raynaud's phenomenon.