Button the dress, open a bottle of mineral water, pick up a fallen pen from the floor – it would be difficult to list more common actions than these. But there is a rare disease that makes this a serious challenge, and that is scleroderma. Those who suffer from this also need outside help for such small things.
But what is this disease and why does it cause such difficulties for its sufferers? Scleroderma literally means “hard skin,” but it’s much more than just scleroderma: the disease attacks the body’s connective tissues. Connective tissues bind our bodies together, they support, connect and separate parts of our bodies. Scleroderma often also causes joint and muscle problems. Symptoms can occur in the large joints (knees, elbows, and hips) and small joints, including the fingers, impeding their free movement. This can lead to people with the disease actually having trouble grasping and carrying things.
An estimated 2.5 million people worldwide have scleroderma, Action Heller writes in his abstract. In most cases, this is a very rare disease in women aged 25-55 years during their active life. The cause of its development is unknown and there is currently no treatment for it, although there are treatments that can successfully slow its progression. It is especially important to make a diagnosis for the patient as early as possible.
For people with scleroderma, in addition to health problems, everyday things are also a problem, they are forced to solve it with some trick or trick. Due to the often limited mobility of the hands, affected skin and sensitive skin, and exhausted body flexion, activities that cannot even be called a task can be solved. For example, who would think a dress button could be a problem? However, with very limited movement, the. A well-proven solution is to use a curved paperclip as a hook to pull the button through the eyelet opening – so dressing isn’t that quick, but the patient has to ask others for help to get something less. In addition, dry, diseased pieces of skin can be attached to the palm of the fabric of the garment – they can be removed with manicure tools and gently rub so that the palm can be hidden through the sleeves of the jacket.
Also, with stiff fingers and fragile skin, opening the cap of a mineral water bottle is not easy, so the patient should always have a piece of cloth to unscrew the knurled cap or open the top of the construction bottle. If smaller objects fall to the floor – such as scissors or a pen –, can be picked up magnetized for this purpose.
Since people of active age usually suffer from illness, they have a lot to do in their work and in their family. The ability to do routine things means that you can remain a full member of your community without fear of isolation.