scleroderma

American  

[skleer-uh-dur-muh, skler-] / ˌsklɪər əˈdɜr mə, ˌsklɛr- /

noun

Pathology.

1. a disease in which connective tissue anywhere in the body becomes hardened and rigid.

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scleroderma British  

/ ˌsklɪərəʊˈdɜːmə, sklɪˈraɪəsɪs, ˌsklɪərəʊˈdɜːmɪə /

noun

1. a chronic progressive disease most common among women, characterized by a local or diffuse thickening and hardening of the skin

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scleroderma Scientific  

/ sklîr′ə-dûr′mə /

1. A connective tissue disease characterized by the deposition of fibrous tissue into the skin and often other organs, causing tissue hardening and thickening.

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Etymology

Origin of scleroderma

First recorded in 1865–70; sclero- + -derma

Example Sentences

When scientists studied women with such diseases, they often found fetal cells in the affected organs: the skin in scleroderma, the liver in biliary cirrhosis, the joints in rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 4, 2025

Autoimmune diseases, which range from rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease to scleroderma and numerous thyroid conditions, stem from attacks by the immune system on the body's own cells that destroy normal, healthy tissue.

From Science Daily • May 23, 2024

Mrs. LePage’s mother had scleroderma, a chronic disease that causes hardening of the skin.

From New York Times • Sep. 24, 2022

But when the pain returned in both arms, he was referred to a specialist who confirmed he had scleroderma, an autoimmune disease that causes scarring of the skin and internal organs.

From BBC • May 26, 2022

In some instances such patches are seen in association with the more classic type of scleroderma just defined.

From Essentials of Diseases of the Skin Including the Syphilodermata Arranged in the Form of Questions and Answers Prepared Especially for Students of Medicine by Stelwagon, Henry Weightman