AARDA newsletter on Latest in Autoimmunity Research

[drz]

Last AARDA newsletter said people with autoimmune disorders had an increased risk of pulmonary embolism 6 times higher during their first year of treatment after diagnosis. Some disorders had a ten times increase in risk of being hospitalized for treatment for pulmonary embolism (Wegs wasn't listed). The good news is the risk seem to decline with time but still was elevated some up to ten years. (University of Sweden)

Genome Research Dec 6, 2011 study said rare genetic variants could cause low clearance in methotrexate and cause increased levels with increased side effects. They found this in two percent of pediatric patients investigated. I know I was tested before starting Imuran to see if my body could process it OK but I didn't know this was also important for MTX.

Mc Masters university in Ontario is following Al's suggestion of finding a fix for all autoimmune disorders. The molecule "alpha v beta 6" can induce the body to produce immune tolerant cells and has the potential to develop a treatment to repair our compromised immune tolerant system so our bodies could correct itself says Dr. Ping-Chang Yang. Dr John Wherry called this research results exciting if not stunning.

Boy wouldn't this be great. Since 20% of population has an autoimmune disorder according to AARDA this type of general fix certainly seems worth pursuing. Al, this study was published in Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, Sept 29, 2011.

[Dryhill]

That is encouraging news drz, thanks for posting it.

Jim

[Debbie C]

That was 6 months ago,I wonder if they have found anything out yet..It will probably be years before they try something on humans,but I would be willing to be a ginny pig. I was listening to the the news last week and there were a couple of stories,I wished I was paying more attention to them at the time but one was about the Mayo Clinic starting a trial study this week with folic acid. They have mixed another chemical in with it and when taken lights up areas in your body where there is cancer.I know we don't have cancer but yet some of the drugs we are given are also used to treat cancer. There was another story about a lady with stage 4 breast cancer and was very ill until given this other drug (and I can't recall what it was) but it was mixed with CTX and she feels alot better,no ill side effects and alot more energy .I wish I could recall what drug it was mixed with,But she wasn't from the U.S. she had sort of a British accent.I think I saw both story in CBS evening news but looked in the archives for the sory with no luck.

[Sangye]

Very interesting, drz. I had "uncountable" pulmonary emboli within 3 weeks of Wegs dx. (It actually began at 3 days post-dx but wasn't diagnosed for 3 weeks.)

[Al]

Interesting, and worth some more research....

Al