Scleroderma is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease (primarily of the skin) characterized by fibrosis (or hardening), vascular alterations, and autoantibodies. There are two major forms:

Limited systemic sclerosis/scleroderma involves cutaneous manifestations that mainly affect the hands, arms and face. It was previously called CREST syndrome in reference to the following complications: Calcinosis, Raynaud's phenomenon, Esophageal dysfunction, Sclerodactyly, and Telangiectasias. Additionally, pulmonary arterial hypertension may occur in up to one-third of patients, and is the most serious complication for this form of scleroderma.

Diffuse systemic sclerosis/scleroderma is rapidly progressing and affects a large area of the skin and one or more internal organs, frequently the kidneys, esophagus, heart and lungs. This form of scleroderma can be quite disabling. There are no treatments for scleroderma itself, but individual organ system complications are treated.

Other forms of scleroderma include systemic sine scleroderma, which lacks skin changes, but has systemic manifestations, and two localized forms which affect the skin, but not the internal organs: morphea and linear scleroderma.

Katherine Whitton "Kathy" Baker (born June 8, 1950) is an American stage, film and television actress.

Baker began her career at San Francisco's Magic Theatre, performing in several of Sam Shepard's plays before getting her break in an off-Broadway production of Fool for Love opposite Ed Harris. Her recent projects include All the King's Men (2006) and The Jane Austen Book Club (2007).

She has appeared in numerous films including Edward Scissorhands (Joyce Monroe), The Right Stuff, Street Smart, Jacknife and Cold Mountain. As a small-town doctor in the David E. Kelley television series Picket Fences she won Emmy awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series three times in the show's four-year run (1993, 1995 and 1996).

Baker later re-teamed with Kelley, appearing in Boston Public as a teacher named Meredith Peters. Baker guest-starred in the premiere episode of the eighth season of Law and Order: Criminal Intent, playing the role of an ambitious mother of a city politician with a dark family secret. She also had a recurring role in Medium as Allison DuBois's mother-in-law, and another one in Tom Selleck's periodic Jesse Stone crime dramas as Rose, a small-town police officer.