Collagen disease

Collagen disease is a term previously used to describe systemic autoimmune diseases (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and systemic sclerosis), but now is thought to be more appropriate for diseases associated with defects in collagen, which is a component of the connective tissue.

The term "collagen disease" was coined by Dr. Paul Klemperer at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City in 1941.