| Purpose of the guideline: |
Localized scleroderma is a chronic disfiguring skin disease that not only involves the skin but also can involve subcutaneous tissue, muscles and bones. In the initial stage, it is only manifested as skin erythema and edema, changes in glossiness, or mild pigment abnormalities. As the disease progresses, the affected skin area gradually undergoes hardening and atrophy. In severe cases, scar formation and hair loss occur, which seriously damages the mental health and quality of life of patients. For a long time, the domestic attention to this disease has been relatively low. In particular, the majority of grass-roots dermatologists lack a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of it, and the diagnosis and treatment behaviors are not standardized enough. Some patients are misdiagnosed or missed, which seriously affects the diagnosis and treatment process and prognosis of patients, causing a serious burden on patients and their families. It also poses a huge challenge for dermatologists to correctly diagnose and reasonably treat in clinical work. Therefore, it is necessary to formulate expert consensus according to China's national conditions to popularize and standardize diagnosis and treatment behaviors.
At present, only Europe and Japan have proposed relevant diagnosis and treatment guidelines for localized scleroderma, which elaborates on aspects such as the disease's clinical manifestations, auxiliary examinations, treatment plans, and prognosis. However, there is currently no expert consensus or guideline for this disease in China.
Therefore, for further clinical application, this guideline intends to provide evidence recommendations on aspects such as the clinical classification, clinical manifestations, auxiliary examinations, and treatment plans of localized scleroderma to provide guidance for clinicians, hoping to standardize industry behaviors and benefit patients. |
