Scleroderma is a serious, progressive (worsening) disease that affects the skin and connective tissue (including cartilage, bone, fat, and the tissue that supports the nerves and blood vessels throughout the body). Scleroderma is also frequently called systemic sclerosis.

Connective tissue is found throughout the body. It is a fibrous tissue produced by special cells called fibroblasts. Many cells of the immune system exist within the connective tissue. Connective tissue supports all of the structures of the body, including the skin, the organs, and all of the body's blood vessels and nerves. Collagen is a type of protein fiber present in connective tissue.

In scleroderma, collagen is over produced and is defective. Collagen then accumulates throughout the body, causing the hardening (sclerosis), scarring (fibrosis), and the damage characteristic of scleroderma. Because collagen is found so widely throughout the body, the effects of scleroderma are almost always widespread.

Scleroderma occurs...