In the United States, over 35 million women live with an autoimmune disease1, yet less than 1% of women’s health funding is allocated to these conditions2. The impact is extensive: women often spend years trying to get a diagnosis, face daily symptoms that disrupt work and family life, and have
The intersection of menopause and autoimmune disease represents a crucial yet underexplored aspect of women’s health. With 80% of autoimmune patients being female and millions of women experiencing menopause each year, understanding this connection is vital for improving health outcomes. The hormonal changes during menopause don’t just mark a life
The world of autoimmune diseases is far more complex than medical professionals once believed. Emerging research reveals a fascinating phenomenon that challenges traditional diagnostic boundaries: polyautoimmunity. This groundbreaking concept suggests that autoimmune diseases are not isolated conditions, but are interconnected and can coexist and interact in profound ways. Defining Polyautoimmunity:
May 2022 Report This May 2022 549-page NIH report represents a significant breakthrough in autoimmune research focus. Its recommendations have major downstream implications for CDC statistics, basic research, R&D, medical education & clinical guidelines. Funded and launched in 2019, before the pandemic but even more relevant since COVID-19 spotlighted post-viral
Autoimmune Diseases are Siloed by Specialty Click the arrows next to the slide to view the sources. Looks a mess, doesn’t it? It is! Autoimmune diseases are scattered across many different medical specialties, creating a siloed landscape in which patients must coordinate and navigate for themselves. This illustration maps high-prevalence
The Visible Chronic Disease Epidemic Click the arrows next to the slide to view the sources. The chronic disease population has grown substantially in recent years since modern medicine has extended the human lifespan. Depending on sources, 40-60% of Americans (128-140M people) have one or more chronic health conditions. Moreover,
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
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.
A May 2022 NIH Report on autoimmune research makes clear why the AIID epidemic remains invisible & silent.