Stem Cells & Perinatal Therapies
Cell and perinatal products: promise, evidence, quality and clinical limitations.
In depth · From essentials to clinical evidence · RheumaView
Scleroderma & systemic sclerosis
Understand your diagnosis. Navigate care. Explore the evidence.
Choose your audience and a topic. Patient chapters begin with the essentials; professional pages examine clinical decisions and evidence.
Explore every topic
Understanding the disease
What does my diagnosis mean?Systemic sclerosis can affect blood vessels, skin and internal organs. Your own pattern matters more than the name alone.Raynaud phenomenon and early signsCold-triggered colour changes do not automatically mean systemic sclerosis. The surrounding findings determine whether further assessment is needed.Understanding antibodies and capillaroscopyA blood test or nailfold image is one part of the assessment, not a complete diagnosis or prediction.Scleroderma overlap syndromesAn overlap means there are meaningful features of another autoimmune disease alongside systemic sclerosis.Morphea and localized sclerodermaMorphea is a separate condition from systemic sclerosis, but deeper or strategically located lesions can still need substantial treatment.When skin thickening has another causeSeveral conditions can make skin feel thick or tight. The pattern and other findings help establish the cause.Organs & symptoms
Protecting fingers and caring for ulcersProtect warmth and skin integrity, and report a sore or persistent circulation change early.Skin changes, calcium deposits and hand movementSkin comfort, circulation and hand movement deserve attention alongside the internal organs.The lungs and interstitial lung diseaseLung tests look for changes in lung tissue and follow how well your lungs work, sometimes before symptoms appear.Pressure in the lung blood vesselsPulmonary hypertension means raised pressure in the lung circulation. It has several causes, which need different treatment.Heart symptoms and follow-upThe heart can be affected directly or through other conditions. A new symptom deserves a fresh assessment.Kidneys and when to get urgent helpA sudden blood-pressure rise or kidney problem can be an emergency in systemic sclerosis.Digestion, swallowing and nutritionDigestive symptoms can come from several different problems. Identifying the mechanism helps protect comfort and nutrition.Treatment & daily life
Making sense of treatment choicesThe best treatment plan names the problem being treated, the expected benefit and how safety and response will be checked.Following your condition over timeMonitoring compares your current condition with your own baseline and checks treatment safety.Fatigue, pain and everyday lifeYour ability to eat, move, work, sleep and participate in life is part of care.Pregnancy, life stages and proceduresPlanning ahead makes it easier to align treatment with pregnancy, surgery, dental work and other life needs.Research & new possibilities
Research and new treatment possibilitiesResearch is expanding treatment options, but a promising result and a treatment suitable for you are different steps.Experimental treatments and future possibilitiesPromising research offers possibilities, but benefit, safety and availability must be established for each treatment.Scleroderma mimics · Patient quizzes
Browse the patient quiz seriesFree after registration · EN / RU / ES / PLStart with the first quizRV-SCM-01Systemic sclerosis · Patient quizzes
All patient quizzes in this seriesQuiz 01: open demo. All other quizzes: free after registration. EN / RU / ES / PL.Try the open demoRV-SSC-01 · Limited Doesn’t Mean LiteExplore every topic · Professionals
Visual guide · Olga Goodman, MD
The lungs in systemic sclerosis
Follow two pathways—interstitial lung disease and pulmonary arterial hypertension—through the film, then open the focused clinical chapters.