| Causes of Scleroderma (MAIN MENU) | | | |
| Causes of Scleroderma: Environmental |
| Topics covered include exposure to cadmium, mercury (dental amalgam), solvents (such as paint thinners), radiation, and silica as either known or suspected causes of autoimmune diseases or scleroderma. |
| |
| Artificial Joints and Silicone Breast Implants |
| Causes of Scleroderma: Artificial Joints and Silicone Breast Implants. Are some cases of connective tissue disease, such as scleroderma, related to artificial joints or silicone breast implants? Contradictory findings continue to plague research into this area. ISN. |
| |
| Asbestos |
| Nested case-control study of autoimmune disease in an asbestos-exposed population. These preliminary findings support the hypothesis that asbestos exposure is associated with autoimmune disease. PubMed. Environ Health Perspect. 2006 Aug;114(8):1243-7. |
| Cadmium |
| Drinking water exposure to cadmium, an environmental contaminant, results in the exacerbation of autoimmune disease in the murine model. Cadmium is a pervasive environmental contaminant. Long-term exposure to cadmium appears to result in the exacerbation of autoimmune disease as indicated by the development of proteinuria and continued presence of immune complexes in the kidney. PubMed. Toxicology 2003 Jun 30;188(2-3):233-50. |
| Collagen and Liquid Silicone Injections |
| Collagen and Liquid Silicone Injections Some physicians have reported that patients developed PM/DM and other connective tissue diseases after receiving collagen injections even though they never had these diseases before. FDA is investigating whether there is a cause-and-effect relationship between having collagen treatments and later developing PM/DM or similar diseases. FDA, August 1991. (Also see Skin: Collagen) |
| Drugs and Medications |
| Causes of Scleroderma: Drugs and Medications Some medications and street drugs are known or thought to induce scleroderma or Raynaud's, such as Bleomycin, Cocaine, Marijuana, and Paclitaxel (Taxanes). ISN |
| |
| Environment and Genetics |
| Familial scleroderma (FS): nature, nurture or both? Familial limited scleroderma has a longer prediagnostic latency than familial diffuse scleroderma. FS is likely under-ascertained. In limited scleroderma, Raynaud's or first symptom onset is possibly more genetically determined. A diagnosis due to second symptom onset is more environmentally determined. (PubMed) Intern Med J. 2008 Apr;38(4):235-42. (Also see: Difficult Diagnosis and Causes of Scleroderma: Genetics ) |
| Genetic Association Studies in Systemic Sclerosis: More Evidence of a Complex Disease. Systemic sclerosis (SSc) clearly falls into the category of complex genetic disease, with well recognized variability in clinical and serological presentation and intricate underlying mechanisms, which involve vascular and immune activation within a fibrotic process. J Rheumatol 2007 May;34:903 Editorial. (Also see: Causes of Scleroderma: Genetics ) |
| Environmental Epidemiology |
| Wild vs. lab rodent comparison supports hygiene hypothesis. Researchers have found evidence that may help to explain why people in industrialized societies that greatly stress hygiene have higher rates of allergy and autoimmune diseases. EurekAlert! 06/16/06. |
| A worm's eye view of the immune system: consequences for evolution of human autoimmune disease. There have been marked changes in the exposure of individuals in the developed world to both microorganisms and metazoan parasites, so the immune stimuli such organisms provide no longer have a role in our lives, which might have led to the increased emergence of autoimmune diseases. PubMed. Nat Rev Immunol. 2005 May;5(5):420-6. |
| A case-control study of occupational exposures and systemic sclerosis. The findings of this study tend to support the role of organic solvents and certain chemicals in SSc causation. The association with teaching and working in the textile industry suggests that other exposures are involved in the aetiology of SSc among women. PubMed. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2003 Oct 3. |
| Environmental Toxins |
| Occupational Exposures May Be Linked To Death From Autoimmune Disease. Farmers showed increased risk of death from systemic autoimmune disease, particularly for those who worked with crops versus livestock. In addition, several industrial occupations such as mining and textile machine operators, as well as timber cutting and logging had an increased risk of death from this group of diseases. Science Daily. 09/28/07. (Also see: Autoimmunity ) |
| Relationship Between Occupational Risk Factors and Severity Markers of Systemic Sclerosis. Diffuse scleroderma affected mainly patients exposed during their occupational life to toxic agents. There were significant or close to significant associations between toxic exposure and diffuse scleroderma and pulmonary involvement, and negative ACA. Our results indicate that occupational toxic factors have an influence on the severity of SSc. J Rheumatol 2005 September;32:1713-8. |
| Phyllis C: Scleroderma How many new cases are coming up now from people that were at the World Trade Center? I was there along with co-workers that are very ill now... |
| Infection |
| Causes of Scleroderma: Infections Researchers have long suspected an infection component may be involved as the trigger of some cases of scleroderma and there is an ongoing study about persistent infection as a possible cause of scleroderma. ISN |
| |
| Mercury Exposure (Dental Amalgam) |
| Causes of Scleroderma: Mercury Exposure (Dental Amalgam) covers recent research indicating that there may be a link between mercury exposure and autoimmune diseases. ISN |
| |
| Microbial Growth in Damp Building |
| A cluster of inflammatory rheumatic diseases in a moisture-damaged office. The accumulation of chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases in a single workplace suggests that some environmental exposure in this damp office had triggered the diseases. PubMed. Clin Exp Rheumatol 2002 Nov-Dec; 20(6): 833-6. |
| Occupation |
| Overrepresentation of construction-related occupations in male patients with systemic sclerosis. The prevalence of construction-related professions in males with SSc, according to the limited definition, was tenfold higher than in the general working population. Interestingly, most of the patients with construction-related occupations were electricians. Vanessa Smith. Ann Rheum Dis. 29 May 2008. |
| Occupational and environmental exposures as risk factors for systemic lupus erythematosus. This paper describes epidemiological and experimental research pertaining to occupational and environmental sources of exposure to respirable crystalline silica, solvents and pesticides, and two "lifestyle" factors (smoking and hair dye use). PubMed. Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2004 Oct;6(5):367-74. (Also see: Lupus) |
| Radiation |
| Radiation and Scleroderma. There is an increased rate of cancer among scleroderma patients. Furthermore, scleroderma patients have an increased sensitivity to radiation treatments. In addition, radiation can cause scleroderma including Radiation Port Scleroderma. ISN. |
| |
| Silica |
| Causes of Scleroderma: Silica. Silica exposure can cause autoimmune diseases such as lupus, scleroderma, and vasculitis. It can also cause silicosis, kidney disease, lung cancer, tuberculosis, and other airways diseases. Environmental exposure to silica can occur in workers and bystanders in many industries, including agriculture, construction, and pottery. ISN. (Also see: Causes of Scleroderma: Silicone Breast Implants) |
| |
| Solvents (Benzene, Trichloroethylene, Paint Thinners and Removers) |
| Causes of Scleroderma: Solvents. Occupational exposure to solvents such as benzene, trichloroethylene, paint thinners and paint removers may be a cause of scleroderma in some cases. ISN. |
| |
| Vaccinations |
| Consequence or coincidence? The occurrence, pathogenesis and significance of autoimmune manifestations after viral vaccines. Very few patients may develop some autoimmune diseases following viral vaccination (in particular - arthropathy, vasculitis, neurological dysfunction and thrombocytopenia). For the overwhelming majority of people, vaccines are safe and no evidence linking viral vaccines with type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis (MS) or inflammatory bowel disease can be found. PubMed. Vaccine. 2005 Jun 10;23(30):3876-86. |
| Autoimmune diseases and vaccinations. We suggest that a potential link between vaccines and autoimmune diseases cannot be definitely ruled out and should be carefully explored during the development of new candidate vaccines. PubMed. Eur J Dermatol. 2004 Mar-Apr;14(2):86-90. |
| Vinyl Chloride and Vinyl Choride Disease |
| Causes of Scleroderma: Vinyl Chloride Exposure to vinyl chloride has been found to cause acroosteolysis, angiosarcoma, brain cancer, leukemia, liver disease, Raynaud's, scleroderma, and "vinyl chloride disease". ISN. |
| Personal Stories Related to Environmental Exposures |
| Marthie D: CREST Scleroderma I live in a small town, which developed around a chemical and petrochemical industry in this area in South Africa... |
