By Can scleroderma affect speech?
Scleroderma, a rare autoimmune disease characterized by abnormal connective tissue growth, can wreak havoc on everything from the skin and heart to lungs, teeth, speech, and movement.
Can scleroderma affect your hearing?
Involvement of the middle and inner ear and hearing loss has been reported as an uncommon manifestation of scleroderma in some studies. In this study, we evaluated hearing problems in scleroderma patients and determined its association with clinical manifestations and capillaroscopy.
What is limited cutaneous scleroderma?
Overview. Limited scleroderma, also known as CREST syndrome, is one subtype of scleroderma — a condition whose name means “hardened skin.” The skin changes associated with limited scleroderma typically occur only in the lower arms and legs, below the elbows and knees, and sometimes affect the face and neck.
What is the 10 year survival rate for patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis scleroderma?
The 10-year survival rates were 81% for patients with limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis (SSc) and 70% for patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc (P = . 006).
What foods should be avoided with scleroderma?
Avoid foods that may aggra- vate symptoms such as citrus fruits, tomato products, greasy fried foods, coffee, garlic, onions, peppermint, gas-producing foods (such as raw peppers, beans, broccoli or raw onions), spicy foods, carbonated beverages and alcohol.
How fast does limited scleroderma progress?
About 50 percent of patients have a slower and more benign illness called limited scleroderma. In limited scleroderma, skin thickening is less widespread, typically confined to the fingers, hands and face, and develops slowly over years.
Does scleroderma cause vertigo?
We find that symptoms of autonomic dysfunction are common in scleroderma, and that gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction tends to occur with other symptoms of autonomic dysfunction including dizziness and sweating disturbances.
Does scleroderma cause tinnitus?
In the anamnesis 60% of patients reported vertigo, 55% headaches, 50% tinnitus, 40% hyperacusis, 40% hearing loss and 30% ear fullness. It was found that patients with SSc had significantly poorer mean hearing thresholds than the control group for 0.5, 1, 6 and 8 kHz.
What is the difference between limited and systemic scleroderma?
Systemic sclerosis is divided into two categories, limited and diffuse. Limited scleroderma typically has a gradual onset and is restricted to certain areas of the skin, such as fingers, hands, face, lower arms, and legs.
Does scleroderma always affect the face?
Scleroderma can be disfiguring and almost always affects the face and hands, two areas that are important cosmetically. Patients can be more distressed by facial telangectasias and deformed hands than occult lung or heart dysfunction.
What is the life expectancy of someone with systemic scleroderma?
Results: A total of 413 deceased patients was identified. Females were overrepresented 315 to 98; 265 had limited scleroderma, 90 diffuse and 22 overlap disease. Over 30 years, the mean age of death improved from 66.4 to 74.5 years (P < 0.001). Duration of disease improved from 12.1 to 22.9 years (P < 0.001).
Can you live a full life with diffuse scleroderma?
Many people have a good scleroderma prognosis – they do not die of the disease and live a full and productive life. However, some people do die from scleroderma, for example those with severe lung, heart or kidney involvement.