I promised that throughout the month of March (which is Autoimmune Disease Awareness Month), I would touch on each of the autoimmune diseases I have, and today I will focus on two of them. Dupuytren's Disease, or Dupuytren's Contracture, is a genetic condition that runs in families (though it sometimes skips generations), mostly of Northern European ancestry. This disease affects the connective tissue that lies beneath the skin in the palm of the hand, causing nodules, cords, tightening and contractures of this tissue in the hand. Because of the contractures, the fingers can become permanently bent down toward the palm, and the function of the hand is impaired, sometimes severely. It was only after I developed it that I discovered that this painful condition indeed runs in my family. Until then, I had never even heard of it, despite the fact that Dupuytren's disease is the most common crippling hand condition, affecting at least ten million Americans, making their fingers permanently bent. There is no prevention and no cure. In fact, to date, the only available treatments are by surgeons, so most research has been on procedures, not the core biology. Surgeons perform procedures for contractures, but improvement is often partial, temporary for most, and complications are common. Despite recent progress in reducing complications of treatment, rates of progression and recurrence have not improved in the last fifty years.Many scientists suspect that Dupuytren's is a result of autoimmune processes, but more studies are necessary to determine the exact cause. According to the Dupuytren Foundation, "Understanding Dupuytren biology may lead to better treatment for other serious medical conditions. Dupuytren biology overlaps that of other fibrotic conditions, including cardiovascular disease, cirrhosis of the liver, pulmonary fibrosis, scleroderma and others. It’s no coincidence that all of these conditions also lack effective medicines – they share parallel biologic pathways. Of all these, Dupuytren disease is the most accessible to study." "For reasons not yet known, people with Dupuytren's Contracture have a greater risk for cardiovascular disease, several types of cancer, and early death." Thankfully, there is valuable research underway to understand and better treat this disease.
Much of the information available indicates that Dupuytren's Disease is generally slow to progress and is not usually painful. Unfortunately, that is not the case for everyone. A history of this condition within your family is an indication that it will be more aggressive. When the disease is in both hands or there is associated foot involvement, the progression tends to be more rapid. I have Dupuytren's in both hands, and the disease progression in my right hand was not only aggressive, but very painful. From the first nodule to development of cords, involvement in my entire palm and all 5 fingers, and, ultimately, contracture, was less than a year. I had to do something.
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| My hand the day after surgery and today. Definitely, no regrets |
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| Swollen thyroid gland due to Autoimmune inflammation |
According to The Hashimoto's Awareness Organization, there are 3 stages of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: Silent Autoimmunity (the stage in which body has lost tolerance to its own tissue, but there are no symptoms yet and it doesn’t really affect the way that the system functions), Autoimmune Reactivity (in this stage, the destruction of the target tissue has begun. There are elevated antibodies and some symptoms. However, the destruction is not significant enough to actually be labeled autoimmune disease because 70 to 90% of the target tissue has not yet been destroyed), and Autoimmune Disease (this is the stage where Western medicine finally acknowledges that this is an autoimmune disease. And it takes this long because you need significant destruction of tissue in order to see the destruction with an MRI or ultrasound. Other findings include elevated antibodies, serious and significant symptoms, lab results, and special studies that all confirm a loss of function).
Click here to see a check list of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis symptoms. If you are struggling with anything on this list, I encourage you to make an appointment with your doctor. You do not have to suffer needlessly! For the time being, help alleviating symptoms is available, and research is underway. That is why awareness is so important. Because with awareness comes research funding, and with research we have hope for a cure!
God bless you...
"There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something better tomorrow." ~Orison Marden~
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