A Snapshot of College Life With Vasculitis

Imagine a college student who rarely goes to parties, never drinks to excess, and avoids virtually all risky behavior. Thanks to my health condition, that student was me. True, some young adults are laser-focused on their degree and future career and have an incredible amount of self-discipline. But for the…

Patient registries are a hot topic of rare disease research and many organizations are taking advantage of this resource by signing up their patient communities and connecting with researchers. Eric Sid, MD, program officer for the Office of Rare Diseases Research (ORDR), said it is difficult to estimate how…

A team of scientists in Europe has developed a novel mouse model of the type of kidney damage that commonly occurs in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), and identified the receptor CXCR4 as a potential target for future therapies. “This model may be a considerable benefit to research aimed at ameliorating…

There’s more to a chronic disease lifestyle than seeing a doctor and taking meds. I’m reminded of this on a daily basis, with dozens of small actions that have become so routine I don’t even think about them as having to do with vasculitis anymore. At first, adjusting to…

Horizon Therapeutics has launched its #RAREis Representation program aimed at increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion among patients with rare diseases. There are about 400 million people worldwide living with a rare disease; for many of them, access to diagnosis, care, and treatments can be challenging. Accessing better care depends on…

Bionews, the publisher of this website, hosted a virtual panel discussion on Rare Disease Day 2022, taking a deeper dive into what it’s like to live with a rare disease, including conversations about advocacy, mental health, survivor’s guilt, treatment of minority patients, and more. The Monday event, “A…

Genetic biomarkers and immune pathways related to kidney damage in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) were identified in a recent study. The five identified biomarker genes may be involved in the progression of kidney damage through immune system signaling, its researchers said. The study, “Identification of Hub Biomarkers and…

Among many health-support communities, there’s an ongoing discussion regarding pharmaceuticals versus natural healing. Once we patients have a diagnosis, the next step is to determine a treatment plan. But how do we know what’s the best route to keep our immune systems clean and functioning well, with the lowest…

A rare disease puts an economic burden on the patients, families, and caregivers that it affects, and will no doubt be an integral part of discussions on Rare Disease Day 2022, which brings international awareness about the more than 300 million people living with rare disorders. Part of that…

The nonprofit RARE-X is creating an easily-accessible, centralized data hub for all rare disease patient data that can help researchers answer questions about existing disorders, discover new ones, and work toward finding treatments. It was spun out of the work that Nicole Boice, founder and chief engagement officer of…