| We Need Your Help! |
 |
 |
 |
| Tuesday, 09 March 2010 20:21 |
 Today, the Scleroderma Care Foundation embarks upon a mission of vital importance, and we are counting on your help. One of our dearest Scleroderma patients and friend, Agnes Basil-James, is on the verge of Renal or kidney failure and we are seeking out a qualified kidney donor. Currently, her kidneys are operating at around 2% efficiency and she undergoes dialysis treatment several times per week. Agnes is also the longest known survivor of Scleroderma in Trinidad & Tobago, having been diagnosed with the disease in 1986, some 24 years ago. As many are aware, Systemic Scleroderma can cause musculoskeletal, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, renal, and other complications. Renal involvement in Scleroderma is typically considered a poor prognostic factor and frequent cause of death. Approximately 5-10% of all Scleroderma patients develop renal crisis at some point in the course of their disease, and is most common in diffuse coetaneous Scleroderma, often associated with antibodies against RNA polymerase (in 59% of cases). Many proceed to dialysis, although this can be stopped within three years in about a third of all cases. Our programme, for as long as it takes, would seek to find an applicable donor for Agnes. From today, we would be featuring several articles on our site, on the nature and function of the kidneys, and associated renal involvement in Scleroderma. We also seek to provide some assistive and invaluable information on how you can become an organ donor yourself, along with tips for taking much better care of your very own kidneys. It is our very sincere hope that someone out there, with blood group O, reading this, would be willing to come forward and assist Agnes. We would also like to encourage everyone reading this to please share with family, friends, co-workers, and associates, as our request for assistance may just reach the right person. Agnes has been so kind as to share with us all, her story, which you can read here. For more information, please do feel free to contact us via email here, or phone at 756-3930 or 685-3213. Also, join us on Facebook or Twitter, where we would post updates as we progress. Thank you. Adelwyn Holder President, Scleroderma Care Foundation |
More articles :
» Become an Organ Donor Today
Organ donation takes healthy organs and tissues from one person for transplantation into another. Experts say that the organs from one donor can save or help as many as 50 people. Organs you can donate include internal organs such as the...
» Preliminary Results Show Beneficial Effects of Imatinib in Scleroderma
Imatinib (Gleevec), a drug that has significantly improved survival in chronic myelogenous leukemia and gastrointestinal stromal tumor, is showing beneficial effects on skin and lung manifestations in patients with diffuse cutaneous scleroderma....
» 5 Things to Know About Raynaud’s
Having a chronic condition like Raynaud’s requires vigilance. Here are five things that you should know about your condition from rheumatologists who treat it.Stay warm. Wear gloves and mittens and heavy socks whenever you expect to be in a cold...
» New Understanding of Skin Hardening Syndromes Found
New details about the underlying mechanisms of skin hardening syndromes, morphea, have been discovered by researchers from (BUSM). Morphea, also known as localized scleroderma, is a disorder characterized by leading to thickening of the dermis,...
» Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Approaches for Improved Topical Treatment in Localized Scleroderma and Systemic Sclerosis
I. Badea; M. Taylor; A. Rosenberg; M. FoldvariPosted: 09/03/2009; Rheumatology. 2009;48(3):213-221. © 2009 Oxford University PressSSc is a chronic progressive disorder of unknown aetiology characterized by excess synthesis and deposition of...
» Study Suggests Link Between Scleroderma, Cancer in Certain Patients
Patients with a certain type of may get cancer and scleroderma simultaneously, Johns Hopkins researchers have found, suggesting that in some diseases, autoimmunity and cancer may be linked.These findings could lead researchers closer to discovering...