Scleroderma Foundation- Rocky Mountain Chapter

Specialties

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.