what is it and why fingers can give clues

Fingers and / or toes may change color when exposed to cold: they first become excessively pale then purplish, which may be accompanied by pain or tingling. This is how “Raynaud’s phenomenon” appears, one of the clinical characteristics that occurs in most patients with scleroderma.

Systemic sclerosis, or “scleroderma”, is a rare chronic autoimmune disease which, although it mainly affects the skin (hence its name: scleroderma means “hard skin”), it can also affect internal organs such as the lungs, kidneys, intestine, esophagus, joints and heart.

“The skin becomes harder and stiffer, but at first it can manifest itself as swelling of the skin of the hands and feet, sometimes of the face. In addition, there may be more dilated blood vessels in the face, hands and folds, ”explains pulmonologist Gabriela Tabaj, coordinator of the office of interstitial diseases at A. Cetrángolo hospital as part of the World Day. scleroderma.

The respiratory system is one of the most commonly affected by systemic sclerosis. According to different studies, more than 80% of patients suffering from systemic sclerosis, he presents with pulmonary involvement. “In addition, the main cause of death in people diagnosed with systemic sclerosis is interstitial lung disease,” says Brenda Varela, pulmonologist at the German hospital.

In the digestive system, people with systemic sclerosis can present with symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease, heartburn and difficulty swallowing, among others, experts say.

Rare

Scleroderma is considered an orphan or rare disease because its prevalence is 9 people per million population and has an incidence of 5 to 12 new cases per million people per year. It is 3 to 4 times more common in women. And it usually occurs between the ages of 30 and 50.

Pulmonary involvement

Pulmonologists insist that lung involvement in people with scleroderma is very common and usually manifests as interstitial lung disease and pulmonary hypertension.

“Normally the patient begins to develop it before showing symptoms, it is therefore very important to exclude early assignment by means of additional studies ”, they underline.

And they point out that to identify interstitial lung disease, the iinterrogation and physical examination. In addition, a chest CT scan (which should be high resolution) and lung function tests are ordered.

“The patient, when he presents symptoms, usually presents shortness of breath and cough when you make an effort. For the study of pulmonary hypertension, additional studies are also requested, such as cardiac Doppler ultrasound or the analysis of certain autoantibodies ”, they specify.

Treatment

Experts point out that due to the potential organ compromise that systemic scleroderma presents, evaluation in interdisciplinary teams.

Although there is no cure for scleroderma, a variety of treatments can relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.

In pharmacological treatment, three main groups of drugs are used to treat three of the most important changes in the disease: vasodilators, immunosuppressants and anti-fibroproliferatives.

In addition, specialists list a series of general recommended measures:

Take care of your skin, moisturize it daily and treat any injuries and protect it from the sun.

Avoid the cold and use gloves.

Avoid stress.

No smoking.

Be strict with oral hygiene and use special dry mouth toothpaste.

Perform muscle stretching and physiotherapy and rehabilitation exercises.

Take anti-reflux measures, in case the patient suffers from it: avoid large meals, chew food well, lie down for 2-3 hours after eating and raise the head of the bed.