2023-06-29 22:00:29
World Scleroderma Day is commemorated every June 29 and its goal is to raise awareness about this rare but deadly disease.
It occurs in around two million people worldwide and is more frequent in women in the prime of their lives, that is, between the ages of 30 and 50.
Approximately 70% of patients with this pathology will develop Interstitial Lung Disease.
There are many diseases that are rarely talked about, such as scleroderma due to its low incidence. Despite the above, they are health problems that affect people not only physically but also emotionally. Therefore it is necessary to know the basic aspects to accurately identify the pathology.
main symptoms
It all starts with hardening of the skin, joint pain and gastrointestinal symptoms. It can also damage muscles, joints, the heart, kidneys, and lungs. In fact, this disease is capable of generating disability and premature death in those who suffer from it.
Scleroderma or systemic sclerosis is a rare, incurable, disabling, and life-threatening disease that affects the skin, lungs, and other vital organs. It occurs in about two million people worldwide and it is more frequent in women in the prime of their lives, that is, between the ages of 30 and 50, explained Dr. Natllely Itzel Ruíz Gómez, a rheumatology specialist, member of the Mexican College of Rheumatology.
#Find out|June 29 is a day to recognize the value of those living with scleroderma, and to call for equal treatment and care for scleroderma sufferers around the world. #EmpoderarElPoderPopular @NicolasMaduro @MagaGutierrezV @Somosivss pic.twitter.com/sOnkqQq5Cv
— OATucupita (@OficAdmTucupita) June 29, 2023
It is an autoimmune disease that affects connective tissue (present to support, separate and connect different parts of the body). In scleroderma, the immune system reacts, causing chronic inflammation that results in hardening and thickening of the skin, tissues, and organs. due to an abnormal healing process (fibrosis) and accumulation of excess collagen.
Complications that can cause
The specialist highlighted that approximately 70% of people with scleroderma will develop Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD). It is a condition that generates pulmonary fibrosis, causing loss of lung function that manifests itself with shortness of breath, dry and chronic cough, fatigue and limited exercise. When the disease worsens, patients often require 24-hour supplemental oxygen, impaired quality of life, and early mortality.
In most people with Pulmonary fibrosis due to systemic sclerosis the symptoms remain relatively stable at first and slowly worsen over the years. Therefore it is important that clinicians intentionally look for disease in patients from the time of diagnosis.
“However, it is estimated that up to 35% of patients with Pulmonary Fibrosis could die within the first 10 years from diagnosis, being one of the main complications associated with Scleroderma, for which it is very important to identify it in time , monitor the patients who suffer from it annually and go to a specialist doctor to receive treatment as soon as possible”, mentioned Dr. Natllely Ruíz.
He adds that it is essential to bear in mind that the Interstitial Lung Disease begins during the first three years from the diagnosis of Systemic Sclerosis. With this in mind, patients must have medical treatment in the early stages and thus delay the progression of this disease and its fatal consequences.
Also read:
IPF and scleroderma, rare diseases that affect Mexicans
New rare diseases recognized in Mexico: 3 added to the official catalog
Rare Diseases: Neither so few nor so unknown
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