Systemic sclerosis
Systemic sclerosis (often termed scleroderma) is a multisystem autoimmune disease characterised by excessive collagen deposition (leading to fibrosis), vascular abnormality and immune dysfunction. Key features of this rare and complex disease are skin thickening (scleroderma), Raynaud’s phenomenon (episodic colour changes of the fingers, usually in response to cold exposure) and involvement of the internal organs including the GI tract, lungs, heart and kidney. Our group also has an interest in primary Raynaud’s phenomenon, when Raynaud’s phenomenon occurs in the absence of any underlying condition, and localised scleroderma (morphoea) when scleroderma occurs in the absence of underlying connective tissue disease.
We are an interdisciplinary team based at the University of Manchester and Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust with an active programme of clinical and scientific research investigating the pathophysiology, epidemiology, measurement and treatment of systemic sclerosis and Raynaud’s phenomenon. We benefit enormously from the expertise of a Unit dedicated to clinical and genetic epidemiology and we also have close links with the dermatological science research group, the Imaging Sciences Research Group and the cardiovascular medicine research group. National and international collaborations are also crucial to our work in the fields of immunogenetics and epidemiology given the rarity of systemic sclerosis and the complex challenges that this disease presents.
