Scleroderma is not contagious, so you cannot “catch it” or “give it” to someone else. It is not hereditary, so most patients do not have relatives with scleroderma, and they do not “pass on” scleroderma to their children. Whilst there are some susceptibility genes, which increase the risk of getting scleroderma, the genes themselves do not cause the disease. An environmental trigger, in a person who is at risk, may result in the disease manifesting.