Health is wealth
Scleroderma
October 3rd 2011 07:09
Scleroderma, meaning "hard skin," takes its name from one of the more obvious symptoms of this illness. The disease causes thickening and hardening of the skin and damages arteries, joints and internal organs such as the lungs and kidneys. The treatment of scleroderma follows the various aspects of the disease as just described. The change in skin color associated with Raynaud's phenomenon indicates a dramatic loss of the normal blood supply to the fingers, which should be avoided or treated immediately. A warm bath is one of the fastest and most effective ways to warm the fingers. In emergency situations, the fingers can be placed under the warmer parts of the body, such as the armpits and the abdomen. If the Raynaud's phenomenon is not treated, the patient may develop digital ulcers or sores, requiring amputation of the finger tips in extreme cases. Most of the patients suffering from scleroderma have antibodies (produced by the B cells) that bind self components. There are two main kinds of antibodies involved in scleroderma, anticentromere antibodies, and anti-topoisomerase-I antibodies.
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