Interstitial Calcinosis Circumscripta Associated with Scleroderma and Raynaud's Disease

Abstract

Interstitial calcinosis circumscripta per se is not an uncommon condition, but its simultaneous association with both scleroderma and Raynaud's disease is rare. Three cases exhibiting these pathological changes will be presented here. Interstitial calcinosis is a condition of unknown origin in which there is abnormal deposition of calcium salts in the form of multiple calcareous deposits in the soft tissues of the body, most often in the subcutaneous regions. The pathogenesis is obscure. Among the suggested etiological factors are cold, local trauma, interference with blood supply producing local vascular degeneration, disturbance in metabolism, renal disease, inadequate nutrition, hypervitaminosis D, disturbance in the local acid-alkaline equilibrium, the presence of lipolytic ferments in the subcutaneous tissues, and endocrine disease involving the thyroid and parathyroid glands. Chemically, most of the deposits are calcium carbonate and phosphate. The condition may take either of two forms: (a) circums...