How is Alpha-1 Different from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease?

Have you ever noticed a sudden cough come on that doesn’t seem to want to go away? Or felt strong during exercise one day, then found yourself getting short of breath over the next few weeks? Maybe you notice it’s getting a little harder to breath as the years go on. Chronic cough, shortness of… Continue reading How is Alpha-1 Different from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease?

Keith & Sarah’s personal journey with rare lung disease. Part III, “Bonus round”

Over the last few months, Keith and Sarah have been sharing their journey with us. In this final interview of our three-part series, they talk about how he got on a transplant list and their “phones at the dinner table” policy. If you missed our first two interviews with Keith and Sarah, you can find… Continue reading Keith & Sarah’s personal journey with rare lung disease. Part III, “Bonus round”

Keith & Sarah’s personal journey with rare lung disease. Part I, “Fine”

As part of our “Spotlighted Blogger” series, we’re talking with people who are sharing their personal health experiences to help raise awareness of disease and change healthcare for good. For our latest interview, we’re talking with Sarah and Keith. Sarah started writing about her fiancé Keith’s journey with a rare lung disease back in July… Continue reading Keith & Sarah’s personal journey with rare lung disease. Part I, “Fine”

Bringing PatientsLikeMe into the Doctor’s Office: An Interview with Pediatrician Dr. Jim King

You may recall that in July we shared a video about Doctors 2.0 and You, a conference focused on how physicians are using web 2.0 technology.  Today we’d like to present a real-life example of this concept: Dr. Jim King, MSc, MD, FRCPC.  A pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) in Ottawa,… Continue reading Bringing PatientsLikeMe into the Doctor’s Office: An Interview with Pediatrician Dr. Jim King

Recognizing Multiple System Atrophy (MSA Parkinson)

In observing Rare Disease Day at the end of February, we talked how there are 7,000+ conditions that are categorized as rare diseases due to their lower prevalence (less than 200,000 people in the US).  Today we’d like to spotlight one of these lesser-known conditions:  multiple system atrophy (MSA), which affects 536 PatientsLikeMe members and… Continue reading Recognizing Multiple System Atrophy (MSA Parkinson)

PATIENTSLIKEME AND R.A.R.E PROJECT UNITE TO FIND AND CONNECT ONE MILLION RARE DISEASE PATIENTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Nonprofit and “Not Just for Profit” Announce Collaboration at PartneringForCures Event NEW YORK, NY – November 7, 2011 – Today, PatientsLikeMe and R.A.R.E Project, a nonprofit advocacy and support group for patients with all rare diseases, announce a new partnership to find and connect 1 million rare disease patients to share and… Continue reading PATIENTSLIKEME AND R.A.R.E PROJECT UNITE TO FIND AND CONNECT ONE MILLION RARE DISEASE PATIENTS

Charting the course of PLS and PMA

Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS) and Progressive Muscular Atrophy (PMA) are two rare variants of the disease ALS. Normally, ALS affects the upper motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, as well as the lower motor neurons that send signals from the spinal cord directly to muscles. PLS and PMA are different because PLS only… Continue reading Charting the course of PLS and PMA

Rare Diseases: Well-Done Online

There are rare diseases, and there are rare diseases. Here at PatientsLikeMe our first community was built for patients with ALS (estimated US Prevalence: 30,000), and in common with our other neurological communities there is a familiar list of challenges: low public awareness, little funding for research, and a lack of adequate treatments. However, over… Continue reading Rare Diseases: Well-Done Online