Pulmonary disease is now the leading cause of death in patients with scleroderma. Of the 2000 patients in the Pittsburgh scleroderma databank, 211 patients have died of lung disease over the past 20 years. One hundred and thirteen died from isolated pulmonary hypertension and 98 died of pulmonary interstitial fibrosis.
Then, does scleroderma affect the brain?
Conclusion—The neuropathological findings in these two patients suggest that systemic sclerosis may induce primary vascular changes in the brain, of which calcification may be a marker.
Keeping this in consideration, how fast does scleroderma progress?
The damage of diffuse scleroderma typically occurs over a few years. After the first 3 to 5 years, people with diffuse disease often enter a stable phase lasting for varying lengths of time.
Is scleroderma worse than lupus?
Patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) have worse health-related quality of life than patients with other systemic rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a Korean study found.
What does scleroderma pain feel like?
Symptoms can include: Tight skin or swollen joints. Joint pain or tenderness. Muscle fatigue and weakness or aching.
What foods should be avoided with scleroderma?
REFLUX/HEARTBURN: eat small frequent meals to avoid overfilling your stomach; avoid eating within 2-3 hours of bedtime; avoid foods that may aggravate symptoms such as citrus fruits, tomato products, greasy fried foods, coffee, garlic, onions, peppermint, gas-producing foods (such as raw peppers, beans, broccoli, raw …
What is End Stage scleroderma?
This type of scleroderma is typically accompanied by shortness of breath, a persistent cough, and the inability to perform routine physical activities. End-stage scleroderma often causes pulmonary fibrosis and/or pulmonary hypertension, both of which can be life-threatening.
What is the life expectancy of scleroderma?
In general, patients with limited scleroderma have a normal life expectancy. Some have problems with their GI tract, especially heartburn; severe Raynaud’s and musculoskeletal pain; and a small subset can develop pulmonary hypertension that can be life-threatening.
What is the most common cause of death in systemic diffuse scleroderma?
Most scleroderma experts believe that, currently, the most frequent cause of death is pulmonary involvement, either interstitial lung disease or pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).
What is the most serious complication of scleroderma?
Kidney function: When scleroderma affects the kidneys, the result can be an increase in blood pressure as well as the leakage of protein into the urine. In its most serious form (called scleroderma renal crisis), a rapid increase in blood pressure may occur, resulting in kidney failure.
What type of scleroderma is fatal?
It is the most fatal of all the rheumatologic diseases. Systemic scleroderma is very unpredictable although most cases can be classified into one of four different general patterns of disease (see Classification).