Steven Gllagher, 48, is reportedly the first man with scleroderma - a rare autoimmune disease - to receive a double hand transplant

A British man with a rare autoimmune disease called scleroderma has reportedly received the world's first double hand transplant for a scleroderma patient.Scleroderma causes scarring of the skin as well as internal organs.After developing an unusual rash 13 years ago, Steven Gallagher, 48, was diagnosed with the condition.According to Sky News, the 48 year old's mouth, hands and nose were first affected.

Then seven years ago, his fingers started to become fixed into a fist position.Despite suffering from 'horrendous' pain, the father of three initially didn't want to undergo the hand transplant due to the risks.However after speaking with his wife, he decided to the surgery was worth a try.He told PA news agency: "My wife and I spoke about it and came to the agreement to go for it.

I could end up losing my hands anyway, so it was just a case of letting them know I was going to go with it."Before the transplant, Steven had to undergo psychological evaluation to make sure he was prepared for the outcomes of the transplant.

In December 2021, he then underwent a 12-hour operation after a donor was matched.Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust's hand transplant team said it was the first time in the world that a hand transplantation was used to replace hands terminally affected by scleroderma.Speaking about how he felt after the operation, Steven said: "After the operation I woke up and it was quite surreal because before it I had my hands and then when I woke up from the operation I still had hands so in my head I never really lost any hands."

These hands are amazing, everything has happened so quickly. From the moment I woke up from the operation I could move them."He added: "It has given me a new lease of life. I'm still finding things hard just now but things are getting better every week with the physio and the occupational therapists, everything is just slowly getting better."The pain is the big thing. The pain before the operation was horrendous, I was on so much pain relief it was unbelievable, but now I've no pain at all."