A Look A Scleroderma, Its Symptoms And Treatment

Scleroderma comes from the Greek words, ''sclero,'' meaning hard, and ''derma,'' meaning skin.

It comes in two forms: localized, affecting the skin and underlying tissue, and more common in children; and systemic, attacking internal organs including the esophagus, heart, lungs and kidneys as well as the skin.

Scleroderma makes the body produce too much collagen, a fibrous protein found in connective tissue. Excess collagen thickens and hardens the affected tissue.

SYMPTOMS

Include swelling, hardening and thickening of the skin; blood-vessel spasms with severe discomfort in the fingers and toes; weight loss; joint pain; swallowing difficulties; nonhealing ulcerations on the fingertips; and extreme fatigue.

TREATMENT

Standard treatment involves medication and physical therapy. Medical researchers are pursuing clinical trials to determine the effectiveness of stem-cell transplants used to treat other diseases, such as cancer.

Stem cells are one of the ''building-block'' cells that comprise bone marrow. In the transplantation process, healthy stem cells are harvested from the person with scleroderma and stored. The bone marrow is then completely ''cleaned'' through chemotherapy and total body irradiation. This process is aimed at eliminating the patient's ''faulty'' immune system, and then healthy stem cells are replaced.

INFORMATION

For information on scleroderma or for a local support group, contact the Scleroderma Foundation at (800) 722-4673 or