Biosalud Day Hospital offers personalised treatments to alleviate the effects of this rare, chronic autoimmune disease that attacks the body's connective tissue.

It is a rare (due to its low incidence), autoimmune (the body attacks itself) and chronic disease. However, everyone is at risk of suffering from it. It is the sclerodermaThe exact causes of the disease are still unknown and it attacks what is known as the body's connective tissue (i.e. the tissue that supports the skin and internal organs). The disease causes hardening and thickening, which leads to swelling and pain in muscles and joints.

Tightening of the skin is one of the most common manifestations of the visible signs of the diseaseas the name (from the Greek words "sclero", meaning hard, and "derma", meaning skin) suggests. But the disease varies from patient to patient.

Different types of scleroderma

There are two main types of sclerodermaThe following are the most common types of scleroderma: localised scleroderma and systemic scleroderma. Thus, localised scleroderma affects the skin in areas such as the hands, face or muscles. It develops slowly and rarely spreads elsewhere (internal organs are usually not affected) and people with localised scleroderma rarely develop systemic scleroderma.

• One form of localised scleroderma is morphea. It is characterised by appearance on the skin of waxy patches of various sizes, shapes and colours. The skin under the patches may thicken and the patches may enlarge or shrink (often they may even disappear spontaneously). Morphea usually occurs in patients between 20 and 50 years of age, but is often seen more in younger children.
• Linear scleroderma is another form of localised scleroderma. It is common, begins as a line of hardened, waxy skin on an arm, leg, trunk or forehead. Sometimes a long crease forms on the head or neck, called a "sabre thrust" because it resembles a sword wound, which can lead to facial haemiatrophy. Linear scleroderma tends to involve deeper layers of skin as well as the superficial layers. Occasionally, it can affect joint movement. Linear scleroderma usually develops in childhood and growth of the involved limbs may be affected.

For its part, the systemic scleroderma can affect connective tissue in many parts of the body. The tissue of the organs involved becomes hard and fibrous, making them function less efficiently. It can involve the skin, oesophagus, gastrointestinal tract, lungs, kidneys, heart and other internal organs. It can also affect blood vessels, muscles and joints. There are two main recognised patterns that the disease can lead to:

• In diffuse scleroderma, skin thickening occurs more rapidly, involves more areas than in limited disease, and can affect the dermis anywhere on the body, especially on the hands, arms, thighs, chest, abdomen and face.. Additionally, people with diffuse scleroderma have an increased risk of developing "sclerosis" or fibrous hardening of the internal organs.
• Limited scleroderma affects the skin of the face, fingers and hands and does not extend beyond the elbows or knees.. Although internal problems do occur, they are less frequent, tend to be less severe than in diffuse scleroderma and take longer to develop. Limited scleroderma is also sometimes called CREST syndrome, an acronym that stands for the initials of the five most common features of this disease: calcinosis, Raynaud's phenomenonscleroderma, oesophageal dysfunction, sclerodactyly and telangiectasia. People with limited scleroderma and occasionally diffuse scleroderma may develop pulmonary hypertension, a condition in which the blood vessels in the lung narrow, leading to impaired blood flow through the lungs, causing breathing difficulties.

A difficult, long and complex diagnosis

However, due to its low caseload (estimated at three cases per 100,000 people) and its wide symptomatic variability, very similar to that in other autoimmune diseasesdiagnosis of scleroderma is often difficult, time-consuming and complex.. This process may also require consultation with a rheumatologist specialising in arthritis or a dermatologist (skin specialist), as well as blood tests and many other specialised tests, depending on which organs are affected.

Currently, there is no cure for scleroderma, but there are many and varied treatments available to help the particular symptoms in each person. For example, proton pump inhibitors PPls or medications to improve bowel movement and heartburn may be used to control heartburn. Other treatments aim to decrease the activity of the immune system.

A treatment with Biological Medicine techniques

In Biosalud, pWe protocolised a personalised treatment in several phases where all the techniques of Integrative Medicine are combined.. The first thing we do is functional regulation, toxin drainage and, if necessary, chelation therapy to remove heavy metals, together with intestinal cleansing.

After four weeks, we will continue with the treatment of bacterial or viral or fungal infections. After a period of at least eight weeks, we will do a follow-up treatment.egulation of the immune system and a deactivation of the genetic loads that have been activated in the patient to develop the autoimmune disease.

Ultimately, our aim is none other than for your body to recover its wellbeing and a healthy state so that you can feel better.