Washington: Scientists claim to have finally discovered the causes for the stiff skin syndrome, a breakthrough which may pave the way for new treatments.
A team at Johns Hopkins University has studied the genetics of stiff skin syndrome to learn about scleroderma, a condition that leads to hardening of the skin as well as
other debilitating and often life-threatening problems, the `Science Translational Medicine` journal reported.
"Scleroderma is a common and often devastating condition yet its cause remains mysterious. My greatest hope is that this work will facilitate the development of new and
better treatments," lead scientist Harry C Dietz said.
Also known as systemic sclerosis, scleroderma generally affects previously healthy young adults, causing scarring of skin and internal organs that can lead to heart
and lung failure.
"Most often individuals with scleroderma do not have other affected family members, precluding use of genetic techniques to map the underlying genes. Instead we turned to a
rare but inherited form of isolated skin fibrosis called stiff skin syndrome, hoping to gain a foothold regarding cellular mechanisms that might prove relevant," Dietz said.
PTI