Canadian Medical Guide

Canadian Medical Guide > Diseases > Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases > Connective Tissue Diseases > Collagen Diseases Terms and Definitions

Collagen Diseases

Medical Definition:

Historically, a heterogeneous group of acute and chronic diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, progressive systemic sclerosis, dermatomyositis, etc. This classification was based on the notion that "collagen" was equivalent to "connective tissue", but with the present recognition of the different types of collagen and the aggregates derived from them as distinct entities, the term "collagen diseases" now pertains exclusively to those inherited conditions in which the primary defect is at the gene level and affects collagen biosynthesis, post-translational modification, or extracellular processing directly. (From Cecil Textbook of Medicine, 19th ed, p1494)

Guide Notes:

GEN or unspecified; prefer specifics

Collagen Diseases Categories.

	Keloid - A sharply elevated, irregularly shaped, progressively enlarging scar resulting from formation of excessive amounts of collagen in the dermis during connective tissue repair. It is differentiated from a hypertrophic scar (CICATRIX, HYPERTROPHIC) in that the former does not spread to surrounding tissues.
	Necrobiotic Disorders - A group of disorders characterized by swelling, basophilia, and distortion of collagen bundles in the dermis.