Systemic scleroderma in a 16-year-old boy: the diagnosticrelevance of capillaroscopy and fluorescence video microscopy

Systemic scleroderma (SSc) is a connective tissue disease of unclear pathogenesis. It is characterized by induration and thickening of the skin, Raynaud's phenomenon and involvement of the inner organs. The incidence is about 4 to 12 per million [1], with women affected 3 to 5 times as frequently as men. Systemic scleroderma rarely appears in children. Only 1.5% of all SSc patients are younger than 10 years and 7.2% are between [...]