Overview
Your doctor may diagnose morphea by examining the affected skin and asking about your signs and symptoms. Your doctor might also take a small sample of your skin (skin biopsy) for examination in a laboratory. This can reveal changes in your skin, such as thickening of a protein (collagen) in the second layer of skin (dermis). Collagen makes up your connective tissues, including your skin. It helps make your skin elastic and resilient.
It’s important to distinguish morphea from systemic scleroderma and other conditions. So your doctor might have you undergo a blood test or refer you to a specialist in skin disorders (dermatologist) or diseases of the joints, bones and muscles (rheumatologist).
If your child has head and neck morphea, take him or her for regular comprehensive eye exams, as morphea may cause unnoticeable yet irreversible eye damage.
You might undergo ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging to monitor disease progression and your response to treatment.
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Symptoms
Complications
Blood clots are a dangerous complication of atrial fibrillation (AFib). Blood clots can lead to stroke.
The risk of stroke from AFib increases as you grow older. Other health conditions also may increase the risk of a stroke due to AFib. These conditions include:
- High blood pressure.
- Diabetes.
- Heart failure.
- Some types of heart valve disease.
Blood thinners are commonly prescribed to prevent blood clots and strokes in people with atrial fibrillation.
Prevention
Healthy lifestyle choices can reduce the risk of heart disease and may prevent atrial fibrillation (AFib). Here are some basic heart-healthy tips:
- Control high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
- Don't smoke or use tobacco.
- Eat a diet that's low in salt and saturated fat.
- Exercise at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week unless your health care team says not to.
- Get good sleep. Adults should aim for 7 to 9 hours daily.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Reduce and manage stress.
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