Topic Overview

Scleroderma is a rare disease in which a person's immune system begins to destroy normal, healthy tissues. (This is called an autoimmune disease.) As a result, connective tissue of the skin, lungs, and internal organs-especially the esophagus, kidneys, and digestive tract-is replaced with scar tissue. This change causes the tissues to become stiff and the muscles to not work as well.

In the esophagus, this makes it:

• Easier for stomach juice to get into the esophagus. This happens because the valve between the esophagus and stomach ( lower esophageal sphincter ) does not close tightly.
• Harder to move stomach juices out of the esophagus. This happens because the squeezing motion of the esophagus (peristalsis) does not work as well as it should.

CREST syndrome is a limited type of scleroderma that can also affect the esophagus.