While the skin is the most affected organ in cases of
scleroderma, almost all cases of complications in scleroderma would lead to
heart problems even if the heart itself is not involved in scleroderma. If the
lungs or the kidneys are involved, this could lead to hypertension and other
heart complications. While that could happen, things are even worse when the
heart itself is affected by scleroderma as its purpose of pumping blood is
limited by the thickening of the walls.
Some of the earliest symptoms of cardiac involvement in
scleroderma are heart irregularities that involve high blood pressure, fatigue
and shortness of breath that could also lead to myocardial infarction or heart
failure. While the heart is largely involved with most cases of scleroderma,
having cardiac involvement in scleroderma is one of the rarest cases of the
illness.
Who Can Get This?
There are no known causes for scleroderma however; reports
have shown that scleroderma can affect all people regardless of any
classifications although it is more likely to appear on others than it is on
some. Women are four times more likely to develop this than men and it usually
comes out between the ages 30 and 50. It is also commonly found in races such
as the Native American Choctaw race and African-American women and rarely
happens among Chinese, Japanese and Koreans.
Since there is no known cause, various theories have been
formulated by medical experts. Some would say that scleroderma is genetic and
heredity would play a large role. Some have also said that it is environmental
and is brought about by unwanted factors in the environment such as bacteria
and viruses. One also said that the fetal matter left after pregnancy can cause
it even after decades after giving birth. None of these theories however have
been proven yet.
No comments:
Post a Comment