For the past 15 years, during the month of June, the National Scleroderma Foundation has sponsored the awareness campaign, National Scleroderma Awareness Month, to educate the public about this devastating autoimmune disease for which there is no known cure. According to the Scleroderma Foundation, “Scleroderma, or systemic sclerosis, is a chronic connective tissue disease generally classified as one of the autoimmune rheumatic diseases. The word ‘scleroderma’ comes from the Greek words: ‘sclero’ meaning hard, and ‘derma’ meaning skin. Hardening of the skin is one of the most visible manifestations of the disease.”
The Mayo Clinic explains that scleroderma is very difficult to diagnose as it can take different forms and can affect different parts of the body. A doctor will need to conduct a thorough physical examination, followed by blood and laboratory testing. There is no actual cure for scleroderma to stop the overproduction of collagen in the skin that causes the hardening. However, there are treatments available to control some of the complications of the disease.
To discuss your treatment options with a healthcare professional and to schedule an annual physical at any of our convenient Primary Medical Care Center community clinics, you may visit our website at www.primarymed.com, or call (305)751-1500 for our Miami-Dade clinic, or (954)289-0000 for our Broward clinic.
Source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/scleroderma/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20351957
https://www.scleroderma.org/site/SPageServer/#.XQNGpINOkwA
https://www.scleroderma.org.site/PageServer?pagename=awareness_month