Newswise — Legislation has been introduced by Congress to name May National Autoimmune Diseases Awareness Month (ADAM) in order to call increased attention to a family of diseases that are still not well-known or well-understood by the medical and research communities and the general public at large.
This is the latest legislative milestone for the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA). AARDA worked with Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE) and Congressman Steve Israel (D-NY), who are sponsors of the resolution in the Senate (S. Res. # 116) and House of Representatives (H. Res. #258), respectively.
There are more than 80 known autoimmune diseases including multiple sclerosis, juvenile diabetes, Crohn's disease, scleroderma, polymyositis, lupus, Sjögren's disease and Graves' disease. Autoimmunity is the underlying cause of these diseases. It is the process whereby the immune system mistakenly recognizes the body's own proteins as foreign invaders and begins producing antibodies that attack healthy cells and tissues, causing a variety of diseases.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), there are 24.5 million Americans who suffer from autoimmune diseases and that the prevalence of these diseases is rising. Collectively, autoimmune disease is one of the top 10 leading causes of death of children and women under 65 and represents some $100 billion in annual direct health care costs, yet less than six percent of Americans surveyed in a recent Roper poll could identify an autoimmune disease.
"Looking strictly at the numbers, autoimmune disease is a major health issue in this country. Yet, we have the Roper survey and other key measures that clearly indicate that the general public is woefully unaware and uninformed about autoimmune diseases to the detriment of the health and quality of life of the tens of millions of Americans and their families who cope with these illnesses everyday," said Virginia Ladd, president and executive director, AARDA.
"While many aspects of autoimmune diseases are not well-known, we do know that the family of these diseases is under-recognized, and that they pose a major healthcare problem in the United States, particularly to women" explained Congressman Israel.
"By declaring May National Autoimmune Diseases Awareness Month, Congress is sending a clear message that autoimmune disease is a national health concern that must be paid attention," Senator Biden added.
In drafting the resolutions, Senator Biden and Congressman Israel underscore the fact that:
* autoimmune diseases are difficult to diagnose and treatment is often delayed, resulting in irreparable organ damage and unnecessary suffering.
* diagnostic tests for most autoimmune diseases are not standardized, making diagnosis very difficult;
* a study by AARDA revealed that it takes the average patient over four years and $50,000 to get a correct diagnosis;
* researchers have identified the existence of a close genetic relationship and a common pathway of disease among autoimmune diseases, which helps explain the clustering of these diseases in individuals and families.
* the Institute of Medicine (IOM) reports that the United States is behind other countries in immune system self-recognition research, the cause of autoimmune diseases.
About AARDA American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) is the nation's only non-profit organization dedicated to bringing a national focus to autoimmunity as a category of disease and a major women's health issue, and promoting a collaborative research effort in order to find better treatments and a cure for all autoimmune diseases. For more information, please visit http://www.aarda.org or call 586-776-3900 or 888-856-9433.
To view the resolutions, visit http://www.thomas.gov and search for H. Res # 258 and S. Res # 116.
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