Chronic hardening and tightening of the skin and connective tissues.

Scleroderma (sklair-oh-DUR-muh) is a group of rare diseases that involve the chronic hardening and tightening of the skin and connective tissues. It also may cause problems in the blood vessels, internal organs and digestive tract. Scleroderma is more common in people assigned female at birth. People typically get scleroderma between ages 30 and 50.

Symptoms vary from person to person, depending on which parts of the body are affected. Nearly everyone who has scleroderma experiences hardening and tightening of the skin. The first parts of the body to be affected are usually the fingers, hands, feet and face.

Treatment can help control symptoms and prevent complications. Treatment options include medicines, physical therapy and surgery.