Nine out of 10 scleroderma cases include clinical signs of GI involvement.
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CHICAGO—Nine out of 10 scleroderma cases include clinical signs of gastrointestinal (GI) involvement, with severe involvement associated with high mortality rates, but the pathology of this is not very well understood, a GI expert said at the ACR’s State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium.
That has left clinicians with a slate of treatments—anti-reflux, antimicrobials and prokinetics—that address only the symptoms, some with more effectiveness than others, and some with more side effects, said John O. Clarke, MD, clinical director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Neurogastroenterology.
A four-stage process of GI involvement has been proposed, with an early vascular lesion followed by neural dysfunction, and then smooth muscle atrophy followed by smooth muscle fibrosis. But autopsies have found that smooth muscle atrophy is found more commonly in these patients than fibrosis, refuting the theory.
Dr. Clarke
“This is controversial,” Dr. Clarke said. “The bottom line is that it’s not entirely certain that this four-stage [process] is correct.”
Dysmotility is the main manifestation, with poor propulsion of food through the gut.
I am a 70 y/o female. I was diagnosed with CREST following my heart surgery repair in 2010. As my disease has progressed, I was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, and most recently, with Intestinal Dysmotility. I was hospitalized for over a month two years ago, and my pulmonoligist did chest node by, bronch wash, and said he found inflammation, rather than fibrosis. Then a year later, I was hospitalized and put on respirator for a week. Since my release in 2017, I began sleeping in semi-fowlers, on my back, staying hydrated. I lost my taste during that episode…but not my sense of smell. I lost my appetite and began loosing weight. please help me.
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My father-in-law was diagnosed with Scleroderma about a year and a half ago. We have since moved him in with us and are working on therapy to get his core strength back. My main concern is the diarehea, is there something we can do or him to take that will help solidify it. Thank you
My mother in law is fighting Scleroderma for 26 years. She is now having severe problems with her stomach with pains diarrhea. They are testing her for everything including Celiac Disease, which her granddaughter has severe. Any advise?
A cause of Scleroderma is Candida from the gi track. All disease begings in the gut. Conventional knows this! Stop the lies for profit and begin to help others.