Scleroderma

• Highlights
• Introduction
• Symptoms and Complications...
• Causes
• Risk Factors
• Prognosis
• Diagnosis
• Treatment
• Medications
• Other Treatments
• Treatment for Raynaud's Phe...
• Treatment for Skin Thickeni...
• Treatment for Lung Complica...
• Treatment for Gastrointesti...
• Resources
• References

• Because significant depression can affect more than 50% of people with scleroderma, researchers say it may be beneficial for scleroderma patients to get routine screening for depression.

• Researchers have discovered a gene called connective-tissue growth factor (CTGF), which they say is more common in people with systemic scleroderma than in those without the disease.

• The prognosis for patients with systemic scleroderma has improved since the 1970s. Ten-year survival rates are up, and deaths from kidney crises have dropped. However, deaths from pulmonary fibrosis have increased during this time period.

• High-dose immunosuppressant therapy with cyclophosphamide significantly improved skin and overall function in patients with scleroderma.
• Evidence shows that intravenous iloprost given in progressively increasing doses can reduce the duration and frequency of Raynaud's phenomenon attacks.
• A potential new therapy using PVAC, a substance derived from the bacterium, Mycobacterium vaccae, can improve skin symptoms without causing significant side effects.