The Scleroderma Foundation's mission is threefold: (1) provide
educational and emotional support for patients and their families; (2)
promote awareness of the disease to the general public and within
the medical community to improve upon early diagnosis and
treatment; and (3) fund research to find the cause of and a cure for
scleroderma.
Scleroderma is a chronic, often progressive autoimmune disease -
like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis - in which the
body's immune system attacks its own tissues.
The disease, which literally means "hard skin", can cause thickening
and tightening of the skin, as well as serious damage to internal
organs including the lungs, heart, kidneys, esophagus and
gastrointestinal tract. Scleroderma affects about 300,000 people in
the US, 80% of whom are women.
For some individuals, scleroderma is a nuisance. For others, it is a
life threatening disease. For most people with scleroderma, the
disease has a serious impact on daily life. And although medications
can sometimes help, there is no cure.