Soft tissue Soft tissue In anatomy, soft tissue includes the tissues that connect, support, or surround other structures and organs of the body, not being hard tissue such as bone. Soft tissue includes tendons, ligaments, fascia, skin, fibrous tissues, fat, and synovial membranes (which are connective tissue), and muscles, nerves and blood vessels (which are not connective tissue). It is sometimes defined by what it is not. Soft tissue has been defined as "nonepithelial, extraskeletal mesenchyme exclusive of the reticuloendothelial system and glia". The characteristic substances inside the extracellular matrix of this kind of tissue are the collagen, elastin and ground substance.
Undifferentiated connective tissue disease has a "definite" or "undifferentiated" connective tissue disease. Treatment largely depends upon individual disease progression and the nature of presenting symptoms. Antimalarials, corticosteroids, and other drugs may be prescribed, if deemed appropriate by the treating physician. Most patients will maintain a diagnosis of undifferentiated connective tissue disease. However, about one third of UCTD patients will differentiate to a specific autoimmune disease, like rheumatoid arthritis or systemic sclerosis. About 12 percent of patients will go into remission. Severe vitamin D deficiency has been associated with the progression of UCTD into defined connective tissue diseases. The presence of the autoantibodies anti-dsDNA, anti-Sm,