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Systemic Sclerosis

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Interdisciplinary Approaches to Overlap Disorders in Dermatology & Rheumatology

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Abstract

Systemic sclerosis (SSc, also called scleroderma) is an autoimmune connective tissue disease characterized by cutaneous sclerosis. It commonly progresses to involve fibrosis of one or more internal organs, with pulmonary involvement as the leading cause of death. In many ways, SSc is the prototype disease for which optimal management requires streamlined collaboration between multiple subspecialists, including dermatologists, rheumatologists, pulmonologists, nephrologists, gastroenterologists, nursing and support staff. Patients may be best served at academic centers with a focus on SSc patients, such as the Scleroderma Centers of Excellence, which may also offer participation in clinical trials. Rheumatologists often function as the coordinating physicians for these patients, while dermatologists have a role in managing cutaneous sclerosis, pruritus and digital ulcers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

    Ada Man

  2. University of California San Francisco, Dermatology and Medicine, San Francisco, CA, USA

    M. Kari Connolly

  3. Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA

    Robert W. Simms

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  1. Ada Man
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  2. M. Kari Connolly
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  3. Robert W. Simms
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Correspondence to M. Kari Connolly .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra Northwell, Hempstead, NY, USA

    Amit Garg

  2. Department of Dermatology Department of Medicine Division of Rheumatology Inflammation and Immunity, Brigham and Women’s Hospital Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Joseph F. Merola

  3. Department of Dermatology, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra Northwell, Hempstead, NY, USA

    Laura Fitzpatrick

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Man, A., Connolly, M.K., Simms, R.W. (2022). Systemic Sclerosis. In: Garg, A., Merola, J.F., Fitzpatrick, L. (eds) Interdisciplinary Approaches to Overlap Disorders in Dermatology & Rheumatology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18446-3_6

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