Tissue repair Defective tissue repair in response to inflammation and damage can lead to scarring and fibrosis, resulting in diseases that affect the function of vital organs such as the heart and lungs. Scleroderma Scleroderma describes a family of diseases that usually cause thickening or hardness of the skin. Vasculitis Vasculitis means ‘inflammation of the blood vessels’. It leads to a varitety of conditions which can affect any organ. Pulmonary hypertension Pulmonary hypertension is high blood pressure in the lung vessels.