A chronic autoimmune disease characterized by fibrosis (or hardening), vascular alterations, and autoantibodies. Sclerosis of the skin occurs in association with disorders as diverse as dermatomyositis, Werner's syndrome, porphyria, muscle glycogenesis, primary systemic amyloidosis, melorheostosis, and malignancy including the carcinoid syndrome. This term is intended to represent the phenotypic feature scleroderma rather than a particular disease.