Scleroderma Diagnosis

Various medical specialists can make a scleroderma diagnosis, which is largely determined by the results of a physical exam, including a look at your symptoms. The diagnosis may be fairly easy to make if you have typical symptoms and rapid skin thickening. However, a scleroderma diagnosis can take months, or even years, to confirm if you only exhibit a few symptoms or they go away on their own.

Scleroderma Disease

Who Makes a Scleroderma Diagnosis?

Depending on your particular symptoms, a scleroderma diagnosis can be made by one of the following:

A general internist
A dermatologist (a doctor who specializes in treating diseases of the skin, hair, and nails)
An orthopedist (a doctor who treats bone and joint disorders)
A pulmonologist (a lung specialist)
A rheumatologist (a doctor specializing in the treatment of rheumatic diseases).

Scleroderma Diagnosis: History and Physical Exam

A scleroderma diagnosis is based largely on your medical history and findings from a physical exam. When considering a scleroderma diagnosis, your doctor will ask you a lot of questions about what has happened to you over time and about any symptoms that you may be experiencing, such as:

Are you having a problem with heartburn or swallowing?
Are you often tired or achy?
Do your hands turn white in response to anxiety or cold temperatures?

Once your doctor has gathered a thorough medical history, he or she will perform a physical exam.

Finding one or more of the following factors can help the doctor diagnose a certain form of scleroderma:

Changed skin appearance and texture, including swollen fingers and hands and tight skin around the hands, face, mouth, or elsewhere
Calcium deposits developing under the skin
Changes in the tiny blood vessels (capillaries) at the base of the fingernails
Thickened skin patches.

(Scleroderma Diagnosis Continued: Page 2)