Systemic Sclerosis

How to Diagnose

How it affects the body

Etiology

Systemic Sclerosis

Finley Welton and Bella Pasion

Signs and Symptoms

Treatment and Prevention

What is Systemic Sclerosis?

Citations

Citations

https://scleroderma.org/diagnoses-tests/ https://www.uclahealth.org/medical-services/gastro/esophageal-health/diseases-we-treat/scleroderma https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/bone,-joint,-and-muscle-disorders/autoimmune-disorders-of-connective-tissue/systemic-sclerosis https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Modified-Rodnan-skin-score-mRSS-of-17-different-anatomical-areas_fig1_318469246 https://www.tasmeemme.com/en/store-items/no-or-stop-sign-medicine-chat-line-icon-medical-help-sign-caution-prohibited-ban-stop-symbol-no-icon-design-vector/?item=10117966389

https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/systemic-scleroderma/ https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/9748/systemic-scleroderma https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/01.str.29.3.719 https://www.sruk.co.uk/scleroderma/scleroderma-organ-involvement/lungs/#:~:text=Interstitial%20lung%20disease%20(ILD)%20occurs,mixture%20of%20inflammation%20and%20fibrosis. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/images/ency/fullsize/19507.jpg https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2022.930970

Citations

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1357303921002760 https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fm.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dvez85zdCw-A&psig=AOvVaw1i5HCuKLg8SzRutdxPUAeu&ust=1695349132903000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CA8QjRxqFwoTCIDvrujRuoEDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE https://drawittoknowit.com/course/pathology/glossary/pathophysiologic-disorder/scleroderma https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRVY0fqU5m7wNVOHTrnPyO1NM8_2av5HuBUWA&usqp=CAU https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQFH8qmGAOEdrFl0gkVQdIRTcvB6zxb-v_TWA&usqp=CAU

https://www.nature.com/articles/nrdp20152https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTUJaKfZVPleIlu_7PKKh66Dle-XkO856MFRg&usqp=CAU https://www.mdpi.com/jcm/jcm-09-02687/article_deploy/html/images/jcm-09-02687-g003.png

Treatment and Prevention

There is no prevention for this condition, nor is there a treatment for the condition itself.

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How it affects the body

Due to the skin getting thicker, systemic sclerosis can affect the lungs by preventing the aveoli from being able to expand and contract so that the function of the lungs significantly decreases. It affects the esophagus by stiffening the muscular rings and isn't able to contract to force food down which can cause degestive problems and things like heartburn. The heart and cardiac muscles can be affected because all the tissue stiffens and the heart loses it's ability to pump blood through the blood vessels and throughout the body. The kidneys have a restricted blood flow due to the inability of the heart and they aren't able to filter out waste and due to that lack of bloodflow waste doesn't get flushed out of the kidneys and into the bladder. Finally, the brain can also be affected, in some more serious cases, where there can be a development of lesions on the surface, and that interferes with the ability to send and receive messages from neurons due to the electrical signal being blocked.

How to Diagnose

Some common tests that can help contribute to a diagnosis are Antinuclear Antibodies Assay, Aniograms, Nailfold Capillary Test, Modified Rodnan Skin Sore, Spirometer, Six-Minute Walking Test, a CT Scan, Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, Echocardiogram, and an Upper Endoscopy

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Etiology

There is no exact etiology for this condition, but they are looking into the hereditary aspect of this condition. All the genes that are being looked at are a part of the HLA gene family. However, this disease is sporadic and not hereditary

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Signs and Symptoms

Some common signs and symptoms are episodes of Raynaud's Phenomenon (where fingers and toes turn white/blue), puffy or swollen hands, thick calloused skin where there are no scars, ulcers on fingers, heartburn, difficulty swallowing, high blood pressure, kidney problems, shortness of breath, diarrhea, joint pain, impairment/failure of organs

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What is Systemic Sclerosis?

Systemic Sclerosis is affects connective tissues (skin, ligaments, cartilage and bone) with an overproduction of the protein collagen making the skin thick and hard. It can affect both the skin and internal organs. Usually, patients that have systemic sclerosis also have another connective tissue condition.

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