Types of Sclerosis

The word "sclerosis" is a general medical term that is typically used to refer to the depositing or hardening of body tissue, usually due to the inflammation process caused by a faulty autoimmune system. Some of the most common types of sclerosis are included here.

Multiple Sclerosis

• Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and the spinal cord, resulting in random damage to various parts of the nervous system. Symptoms depend on which part of the nervous system is damaged, but common symptoms include loss of muscle control, tingling or numbness in the extremities and vision changes, such as double vision or blurred vision.

Systemic Sclerosis

• Systemic sclerosis, or scleroderma, is a rare autoimmune disease that affects the connective tissue in the body, including skin and internal organs. This multisystem condition results in the scarring and thickening of the affected tissue.

Tuberous Sclerosis

• Tuberous sclerosis is a rare, genetic disorder that causes benign tumors to grow in vital organs, such as the brain, heart, lungs, eyes and skin. Tuberous sclerosis patients suffer from seizures, bone lesions and skin abnormalities.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurological disorder involving the progressive degeneration and possible destruction of the nerves that control voluntary muscle movement. ALS patients suffer from muscle weakness, loss of muscle control in their arms and hands, falling and tripping.

Lichen Sclerosis

• Lichen sclerosis is an uncommon skin disorder that affects mostly females. Lichen sclerosis causes dry or leathery skin in the genital and anal areas, causing the skin to itch and tear easily.