Scleroderma Research Paper

Scleroderma

There is a skin disease known as scleroderma that is defined as a chronic connective tissue disorder. Scleroderma is when there is an overproduction of collagen fiber, which causes sclerosis (hardening) and fibrosis (scarring) in the skin. Collagen fibers are a type of protein that have great strength and flexibility for certain structures of the body. They are one of the biggest components that make up the connective tissue, which is why this disease is known as a connective tissue disorder. Connective tissue makes up all the structures of the human body, meaning collagen fiber are found throughout the body, making it so the effects of scleroderma are widely spread. Scleroderma is not one generic disease; it is broken
This type causes Raynaud phenomenon, which is where the blood vessels typically in the hands in feet, constrict in the cold or when under stress. This causes for the hands in feet to turn extremely red or blue with very visible white blotches. This type of scleroderma can cause from lung disease, as well as heart and kidney failure. Due to the tightening of the chest and inflammation of the alveolitis (air sacs), there is a larger risk of getting cancer and pneumonia. The pericardium (layer around heart) can develop inflammation and the heart can have a great deal of trouble pumping blood successfully, which can cause heart failure. Blood vessels are greatly affected in systemic scleroderma, which causes a greater risk factor for kidney disease, because the blood vessels inside the kidney can be damaged. This could cause a person’s blood pressure to continuously increase to the point where one has swelling in the brain, seizures and can alter the filtration of blood. Systemic scleroderma is a more sever type because it can cause so much permanent damage to the internal organs, which can create the body to shut
This is the result of the overproduction of collagen fibers, because they are defective, it creates more antibodies. These antibodies are ready to fight off foreigners in the body; however there can be none present and the antibodies start to fight off its own tissue. This makes it so the antibodies are not performing the correct job, because they need to fight off the blood vessels that have been damaged due to sclerosis. The antibodies will no longer fight off invaders in the body, leaving the immune system wide open for any type of virus or disease which can destroy the