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

Others lost theirs to medical conditions such as sepsis or scleroderma.

From BBC ● Dec. 25, 2022

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

From New York Times ● Sep. 24, 2022

The prognosis of the variety known as morphœa is less unfavorable than general scleroderma, and recovery more frequent.

From Essentials of Diseases of the Skin Including the Syphilodermata Arranged in the Form of Questions and Answers Prepared Especially for Students of Medicine by Stelwagon, Henry Weightman