A36-year-old female who has experienced diverse symptoms for several years has finally had her health problems attributed to scleroderma (systemic sclerosis) and has committed herself to learning as much about the disease as she can. which of her following statements would her nurse want to correct or clarify?

a) "i'm surprised that in this day and age, they still don't know what causes scleroderma."

b) "since they know what causes scleroderma, they will know how to treat and potentially cure my scleroderma
c) "i suppose this explains why i have such terrible circulation to my hands and feet."
d) "i'm scared by the damage that this could cause to my heart and lungs."

The answer is letter b.

Explanation:

Scleroderma- In medical terminology, this is defined as a chronic hardening and tightening of the skin or connective tissues. This is mainly due to the overproduction of collagen (a type of protein) in the tissues. A person with scleroderma experience various symptoms such as cold fingers or toes, small red spots on face and chest, swollen joints, muscle weakness, ulcers on fingertips, etc.

This condition is often considered as mild but there are some cases when it can also lead to a fatal situation. It can cause heart and lung disease. The building up of collagen in the body thickens the tissues in the lungs, which is known as fibrosis. Fibrosis makes it hard for oxygen to be transported into the blood. Scleroderma can also scar the heart tissue. This can cause damage to the heart.

Take note that scleroderma cannot be treated nor cured. The overproduction of collagen cannot be stopped. However, the symptoms that a person experiences can be lessened with medications. This is the reason why the answer is letter b. The nurse needs to correct the patient on this because there is no potential cure for scleroderma.

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