This Saturday, June 29, 2019, it’s world scleroderma daya rare disease that affects between 1 in 1,300 and 1 in 5,000 people worldwide.
From the Greek “sclero” (which means “hard”) and “dermis” (“skin”), scleroderma is an autoimmune disease which is mainly characterized by an abnormal hardening of the skin: the pathology may affect only certain areas of the body (we say that it is localized), or also reach the internal organs (digestive tract, heart, lungs, kidneys, muscles…) which undergo a hardening similar to that of the skin – in this case we speak of generalized or systemic scleroderma.
An autoimmune disease that causes hardening of the skin
Scleroderma mainly affects women (4 times more than men) and generally occurs between the ages of 40 and 50 – in children, it is exceptional. At present, there is no treatment to cure scleroderma: the symptoms (round and “pearly” patches on the body, rather hard) can nevertheless be alleviated, in particular thanks to corticosteroids and immunosuppressants.
As for non-drug treatments, physiotherapy and spa treatments seem effective in some patients. In addition, psychological support is recommended: it is also necessary to quit smoking, maintain a body mass index (BMI) below 25 and practice regular physical activity.
June 29, 2019 celebrates the death of the painter Paul Klee, suffering from scleroderma: the disease had a considerable impact on his work.
Read also :
Do you sweat a lot? Here’s what it could mean…
How to make up your sensitive skin?
Hair removal: checklist of good gestures
