Title: What is scleroderma? - Scleroderma Foundation
Headings: What is scleroderma?
What is scleroderma?
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Types of Scleroderma

Content: In limited scleroderma, skin thickening is less widespread, typically confined to the fingers, hands and face, and develops slowly over years. Although internal problems occur, they are less frequent and tend to be less severe than in diffuse scleroderma, and are usually delayed in onset for several years. However, persons with limited scleroderma, and occasionally those with diffuse scleroderma,
can develop pulmonary hypertension, a condition in which the lung’s blood vessels become narrow, leading to impaired blood flow through the lungs resulting in shortness of breath. Limited scleroderma is sometimes called CREST syndrome. CREST stands for the initial letters of five common features: Calcinosis
Raynaud Phenomenon
Esophageal dysfunction
Sclerodactyly
Telangiectasia
To further complicate the terminology, some people with diffuse disease will go on to develop calcinosis and telangiectasias so that they also have the features of CREST. Although most patients can be classified as having diffuse or limited disease, different people may have different symptoms and different combination of symptoms of the illness.