Download - Morphea (scleroderma)
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Morphea (Scleroderma)
Ellie MorlinoPeriod 6/9 Honors Anatomy
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Morphea:• a rare tissue disorder (affecting 3 people per
10,000,000) that affects the skin and occasionally blood vessels, underlying muscles, and joints
• Causes thickening of the dermis and subcutaneous tissue
• Only 75,000 to 100,000 people in the US have Morphea
• more than 75 percent of people with scleroderma are women.
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Causes of Morphea• Morphea happens when the immune system causes
inflammation in the skin. This inflammation triggers connective tissue cells to produce too much collagen, a fibrous protein that is a major part of many tissues.
• exact cause of this excess of collagen is unknown, but research shows that there is a susceptibility gene which raises the likelihood of getting scleroderma, but does not cause the disease by itself.
• It has been speculated to be a combination of many complicated factors and researchers are still trying to figure out the specifics.
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Mortality• Morphea has a benign course
and is never fatal; it has the same survival rate as the general population.
• severeness of morphea varies depending on how deep the tissue hardens.
• In severe cases, it can affect a person's outward appearance because hardening of the tissues interferes with growth
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Symptoms• Raynauds Syndrome (color
changes that occur in fingers and toes from lack of blood flow).
• appearance of dry and hardened skin
• affected areas harden even further, and develop pink and purple tints
• can affect a person's outward appearance because hardening of the tissues interferes with growth (especially in children who are still developing)
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Diagnosis Treatment
• diagnostic process may require consultation with rheumatologists dermatologists,
• sometimes may need blood studies and other tests depending on if any organs are affected.
• UVA1 phototherapy• Corticosteroids
(Which is a medication that reduces inflammation and prevents thickening of collagen)
• skin Apligraf • Physical therapy
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When looking at tissue affected by Morphea, the bundles of collagen are much thicker and denser than usual, and the spaces between the bundles is smaller.
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Sources• http://www.cleaverderm.com/morphea.html • http://
emedicine.medscape.com/article/1065782-overview#a0199
• http://www.scleroderma.org/site/PageNavigator/patients_whatis.html#.VCrJLvm-2m4