After the skin, the digestive
system is the most commonly
affected organ system
in people with scleroderma, affecting
about 75 to 90 percent of all
patients (Figure 1). The majority of
people with gut involvement experience
symptoms that interfere with
their day-to-day activities and quality
of life.
The function of the gut is to push
the food and liquid down from the
mouth to the large intestine (or
colon), extract and absorb nutrients,
and excrete the waste in the form of
stool. It does so by well-orchestrated
and rhythmic motions of the gut
muscles (also known as peristalsis).
The primary events that caus