Scleroderma and Raynaud's Disease

If you or a family member needs care for scleroderma and/or Raynaud’s disease, you can be assured that the Rheumatology Center of UMass Memorial Medical Center and its team of rheumatology specialists can help you.

What is Scleroderma (Systemic Sclerosis) and Raynaud’s Disease?

Scleroderma is an autoimmune disease that involves the skin, joints, circulation, gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, lungs and heart. 

Patients with Raynaud’s disease may experience cool/painful fingers or toes due to excessive constriction of blood vessels from cold exposure or stress. You may also see color changes (white, blue and/or red) in the affected areas. Although it is a feature of some autoimmune disease, most people with Raynaud’s symptoms will have this in isolation (thus called Raynaud’s disease) rather than in association with an underlying autoimmune disease.

Diagnosis and Management of Scleroderma and Raynaud’s Disease

UMass Memorial rheumatologists are experts in diagnosing and treating scleroderma and Raynaud’s disease.

Your rheumatology care consists of:

• Obtaining a thorough history of symptoms, careful physical exam and appropriate diagnostic tests to support the diagnosis
• Patient education of the disease and its management
• Partnering with other subspecialists if other organ systems (e.g., lungs, kidneys, intestinal tract) are involved
• Discuss and manage the most appropriate, up-to-date therapies available
• Regularly monitoring effectiveness of therapy and potential side effects
• Maintaining open communication with your primary care physician to coordinate your care