Not enough people know what scleroderma is, or how to recognize its early signs. Even though it’s incredibly rare, everyone should know what to look out for. Early symptoms of scleroderma include the following:
🔹 Swollen or puffy fingers
🔹 Numbness and tingling in fingers or toes
🔹 Joint pain
🔹 Weight loss
🔹 Cold sensitivity (Raynaud’s phenomenon)
Other symptoms may be present or develop later, like the following:
🔹 Shortness of breath, dizziness, chest pain, and dry cough
🔹 General fatigue (tiredness)
🔹 Stiffness of hands and feet
🔹 Changes in skin color
🔹 Difficulty swallowing
🔹 Skin thickening or tightness
🔹 Dry mucous membranes
🔹 Calcium deposits under the skin
🔹 Unexplained sores (ulcers) on finger or toes
Having one or two of these symptoms does not mean that you might have scleroderma—keep in mind that other conditions have similar complications. If you notice any combination of these symptoms, and if they don’t get better over time, please see your doctor or a rheumatologist.
