MCQ – 88465

A 40-year-old woman complains that the skin on her fingers feels stiff. The skin of her face appears tense, and radial furrows are evident around the mouth. A skin biopsy shows loss of dermal appendages and abundant collagen bundles aligned parallel to an atrophic epidermis. Which of the following clinical symptoms is commonly seen in patients with this dermatologiccondition?

Correct Answer � B Explanation

Correct answer : b

The condition described in question is scleroderma

Scleroderma is marked by fibrosis and tightening of the skin.

The disease also displays variable structural and functional involvement of internal organs, including the kidneys, lungs, heart, esophagus, and small intestine.

Dysphagia due to involvement of the esophagus is common. 

Patients with early scleroderma usually present with Raynaud phenomenon or non pitting edema of the hands or fingers.

The affected areas become hard and tense. In late stages of the disease, the skin over large parts of the body is thickened, densely fibrotic, and fixed to the underlying tissue.

Although scleroderma can affect the kidney, polyuria/polydipsia is most commonly a complication of diabetes.

The other choices are not related to scleroderma.