Doctorweblog. About Health & Medicine

These two conditions are related in that patients with scleroderma (also known as systemic sclerosis) often suffer from Raynaud’s syndrome (or Raynaud’s phenomenon).

Raynaud’s syndrome

In general, Raynaud’s syndrome affects the arteries in the fingers, and sometimes in the toes as well. No one knows exactly what causes it. The arteries contract in spasm, and as a result the fingers go pale and numb. Then they turn blue and red in turn. They feel painful, tingling, and burning.

In severe Raynaud’s syndrome (also commonly called Raynaud’s phenomenon), the hands and feet turn abnormally cold and there may also be symptoms of a disease affecting the circulation such as atherosclerosis, or the connective tissue such as scleroderma (systemic sclerosis) or lupus erythematosus.

This condition can have serious side-effects. These include inflammation of the arteries of the fingers and toes, which could lead to a blood clot. A lack of blood in the extremities can lead to gangrene, or ulceration of the finger tips.

Scleroderma

Scleroderma is a rare disease affecting the body’s connective tissue – the stuff that supports, separates and protects the organs of the body. The connective tissue progressively hardens and contracts. No one knows the cause, but it is thought to be an auto-immune disease, where the body attacks itself.

Strangely, it is three or four times more usual in women than in men. It most commonly strikes people in their thirties.

Scleroderma can affect any part of the body, including the skin, heart, kidney, lung or oesophagus. It can be localized, or it can spread slowly throughout the body.

Raynaud’s syndrome is sometimes the first sign of scleroderma, and the patient may complain of abnormally cold hands and perhaps feet. Later on, other symptoms appear. In time, the fingers begin to swell, look like sausages, and can be difficult to move. As the disease progresses, the skin becomes thickened and taut, and movement becomes difficult. Scleroderma is a very serious condition, which can be fatal.

At the moment, both Raynaud’s syndrome and scleroderma are incurable, and without any ideal treatment.

*41/60/5*

Dermatitis and eczema are terms synonymous with a red, scaly and often itchy skin condition. The whole process begins as an eruption of blisters, just under the surface of the skin and like many other medical conditions the cause of dermatitis is not known.

Treatment consists of the topical action of steroid creams and ointments like Betnovate. Theoretically, the stronger the cream, the more frequent the application, the sooner dermatitis goes away and the longer it stays away.

No treatment guarantees to keep dermatitis away for ever. It nearly always returns sooner or later. Exceptions to this rule include contact dermatitis where known chemical offenders can be avoided or where the dermatitis clearly relates to a group of food stuffs. Dermatitis is associated in many people with asthma, hay fever and perhaps certain food intolerances.

Home Remedies

Dermatitis often occurs in association with dry skin. Where possible use a steroid cream on active dermatitis and moisturizing cream on all areas of dry skin. Plain aqueous cream is appropriate. Many people with dermatitis prefer Sorbolene cream with an emollient.

The use of soap is not necessarily a problem as long as the skin is covered with an emollient after bathing. Alpha Keri lotion and Hamilton’s bath oil are widely used products. Where possible avoid both cold and hot water as they irritate the skin. Luke warm water is preferred.

Woolen clothing as well as synthetic fabrics also irritate the skin of dermatitis sufferers. Go for loose cotton clothes and avoid tight or ill fitting clothing. Children in particular find sand very irritating. Build no sand pits and don’t let them roll around at the beach.

Nickel frequently triggers contact dermatitis in women especially in relation to jewellery. Ear piercing with the introduction of nickel keepers paves the way for a future sensitivity to all nickel jewellery. In many cases the rash occurs in places other than where the nickel is worn, serving to confuse the situation even further. For those women believing that their jewellery is too expensive to contain nickel, think again. Unless gold is 24 karat, nickel is present. The less the karat, the more the nickel.

Diet is more often a problem in children with dermatitis then adults and it is customary to avoid eggs, orange juice and milk products. With adults an exclusion diet best determines if food stuffs aggravate the dermatitis. The offending agent is identified if three consecutive introductions of the substance trigger the dermatitis.

*40/131/5*