Chronic Disease Archives

A Patient Journey Solution (Part 3): Digitally Enabled V1C
A solution to convoluted autoimmune patient journeys?

June 21, 2023

Digitally enabled, virtual first care (V1C) offers a potential solution to convoluted autoimmune patient journeys. V1C especially offers significant advantages for autoimmune and inflammatory disease (AIID) patients in accessing specialized care. Virtual specialist practices get patients to a rheumatologist or gastroenterologist much faster (days rather than months) and with less

The Autoimmune Patient Journey (Part 2)
A Deeper Dive into the Loops

June 21, 2023

Many Convoluted Stages Along AIID Patient Journeys The convoluted journey of patients with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases (AIIDs) has many stages. Each stage presents challenges that may cause patients to drop out before they get the care they need. Unlike cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, there are no population screening

Long and Frustrating Autoimmune Patient Journeys (Part 1)

June 15, 2023

Slow & Uncoordinated Path to Diagnosis & Treatment Today, autoimmune patient journeys are typically long, convoluted, and frustrating; from first awareness of symptoms to scheduling medical visits, diagnosis, treatment, and long-term care. Since many autoimmune & inflammatory diseases (AIIDs) emerge in youth or middle age and last a lifetime, the

Specialty Pharmaceuticals: The Highest Autoimmune Cost

April 5, 2023

Invisible Epidemic of Autoimmune Disease As we continue to illuminate the hidden costs of the long-ignored epidemic of autoimmune disease (AIID), we must shine a light on the highest autoimmune cost: Specialty pharmaceuticals. Current data largely underestimate total AIID costs, and accurate numbers are few and far between. Through our

The Total Cost Burden of the Autoimmune Epidemic

March 22, 2023

The Problem: We Don’t Really Know! The problem with estimating the total cost burden of the autoimmune disease (AIID) epidemic is that we really don’t know! A May 2022 NIH report validates our long-held belief that missing and inconsistent data for autoimmune diseases (AIIDs) are at the root of the

Five Medical Philosophies: What Are They?

March 20, 2023

We have noticed much confusion among our broad digital health/virtual-first care network about the definitions of conventional, lifestyle, functional and alternative medicine. To add to the confusion, each picks and chooses techniques from the others to incorporate into their approach. For more than a decade, our team has focused on

The NIH Report on Autoimmune Disease, Part 2: Enhancing Research

January 10, 2023

NIH Report Shows Why The AIID Epidemic is Invisible An NIH research report on autoimmune disease, published May, 2022, explains why, despite affecting more Americans than cancer, autoimmune and immunoinflammatory diseases (AIIDs) remain an invisible epidemic. Autoimmunity is an orphaned research field of patchwork studies of some 80-150 individual diseases.

The NIH on Autoimmune Disease: An Invisible Epidemic

November 10, 2022

A May 2022 NIH Report on autoimmune research makes clear why the AIID epidemic remains invisible & silent.

autoimmune disease prevalence grouped by medical specialties

Some incidence, prevalence & growth estimates for selected autoimmune diseases (AIIDs)

November 4, 2022

We’ve compiled some incidence, prevalence and growth estimates for selected autoimmune diseases (AIIDs) as a follow up to our previous post. In that post, we surveyed the sorry state of US national autoimmune incidence & prevalence data. Summary: Per the May 2022 NIH Report: Enhancing Autoimmune Research the US has

Autoimmune Incidence & Prevalence: Why don’t we have good data on AIIDs?

October 20, 2022

Since 2010, we have sought autoimmune disease (AIID) incidence and prevalence data. Despite efforts by independent organizations like AARDA/AA, AIR and many single disease groups, we never found total national autoimmune statistics. NIH/CDC statistics bury AIIDs within siloed categories: Arthritis, diabetes, or by medical specialty: rheumatology, neurology, dermatology, endocrine, etc.

autoimmune

autoimmune

Some incidence, prevalence & growth estimates for selected autoimmune diseases (AIIDs)

November 4, 2022 2 Comments

autoimmune

Autoimmune Incidence & Prevalence: Why don’t we have good data on AIIDs?

October 20, 2022 1 Comment