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Living With Scleroderma
Resource Guide
Symptoms of scleroderma include:
-
Raynaud’s phenomenon
:
- Changes in skin color of the fingertips, toes, and nose in response to cold or emotional stress
- Skin usually turns very white when first exposed to cold, then blue, then very red
- May be accompanied by pain, tingling, numbness
- Sores or ulcers on the fingers
-
Changes in the skin, as areas of affected skin lose hair and become:
- Stiff
- Hard
- Thick
- Shiny
- Darker or lighter with darker spots (the so-called salt and pepper appearance)
- Skin over face may become so tight that it’s hard to change expression (face appears “mask-like”)
- Fingers and toes become swollen or puffy
- Whitish bumps of calcium deposits develop under the skin (calcinosis)
- Tiny purplish-red blood vessels appear under the skin (telangiectasias)
- Skin creases diminish or disappear
- Arthritis (joint aches and stiffness)
- Muscle pain and weakness
- Dry eyes and mouth (called Sjögren’s syndrome )
-
Digestive problems:
- Heartburn
- Difficulty swallowing
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Poor absorption of nutrients, weight loss
- Liver blockage, jaundice (yellowish appearance to the whites of the eyes and the skin)
-
Problems due to lung, heart, and kidney involvement:
- Shortness of breath
- Abnormal heart rhythms
- Heart failure
- High blood pressure
- Kidney failure
Revision Information
- Reviewer: Rosalyn Carson-DeWitt, MD
- Review Date: 12/2011 -
- Update Date: 12/30/2011 -
