The word scleroderma comes from two Greek words “sclero” meaning hard and “derma” meaning skin. Over two centuries ago in 1753, Curzio of Naples first described the condition but the current term scleroderma was named by Gintrac in 1847, when it was recognised as a skin disorder. In the early 20th century, reports suggested that the disease was a systemic disorder which could affect the internal organs of the body and not just the skin. In 1945 Goetz used the term progressive systemic sclerosis but as scleroderma is not always progressive, the term systemic sclerosis (SSc), is more widely used today.
Tuesday, 07 February 2012
The Cool Million!!
To celebrate the charity’s 30th Anniversary in 2012, the RSA is aiming to raise a total of one million pounds for research between 2010 and the end of 2012. The money will be used to fund several projects into Raynaud's and scleroderma. People with these conditions will be given an opportunity to send in suggestions as to what they feel are the most important areas of research that they would like to see funded. These ideas will then be considered by the trustees and medical advisers. One of the aims is to generate enthusiasm amongst the medical profession throughout the UK, in order to help find better treatments and ultimately a cure. So far we have raised £450,000 towards our goal but we still need your help. To find out more click here.