scleroderma

American  

[skleer-uh-dur-muh, skler-] / ˌsklɪər əˈdɜr mə, ˌsklɛr- /

noun

Pathology.

1. a disease in which connective tissue anywhere in the body becomes hardened and rigid.

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scleroderma British  

/ ˌsklɪərəʊˈdɜːmə, sklɪˈraɪəsɪs, ˌsklɪərəʊˈdɜːmɪə /

noun

1. a chronic progressive disease most common among women, characterized by a local or diffuse thickening and hardening of the skin

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scleroderma Scientific  

/ sklîr′ə-dûr′mə /

1. A connective tissue disease characterized by the deposition of fibrous tissue into the skin and often other organs, causing tissue hardening and thickening.

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Etymology

Origin of scleroderma

First recorded in 1865–70; sclero- + -derma

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

scleroderma

To complicate matters, Klee, in 1935, began to suffer from the then‑fatal autoimmune disease scleroderma, which hardens and tightens the skin.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

Rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and scleroderma are examples of autoimmune disorders marked by lopsided female-to-male ratios.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 1, 2024

Mrs. LePage’s mother had scleroderma, a chronic disease that causes hardening of the skin.

From New York Times ● Sep. 24, 2022

But when the pain returned in both arms, he was referred to a specialist who confirmed he had scleroderma, an autoimmune disease that causes scarring of the skin and internal organs.

From BBC ● May 26, 2022

Not that he probably knew the first thing about scleroderma, the creeping fatal disease which affected her.

From Underground by Dreyfus, Suelette