Scleroderma not a death sentence, says rheumatologist

With proper management and constant consultation, patients with scleroderma would live to the fullest, a professor of medicine and consultant rheumatologist at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Femi Adelowo has said.

He said this at an event to mark World Scleroderma Day held at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Lagos by rheumatologists in LASUTH and Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).

Adelowo said Scleroderma a chronic, degenerative disorder accompanied by widespread vascular deterioration and tissue loss, often leads to hardening of the skin, especially fingers and the toes.He said: “As this progresses, there may be discolouration of the skin with hyper pigmentation. When someone begins to have these symptoms, the next step is to see a rheumatologist and present the condition early. Sometimes, patients mistake this sickness as spiritual attack, but it is not.”