FDA approves Arcapta Neohaler to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Arcapta Neohaler (indacaterol inhalation powder) for the long term, once-daily maintenance bronchodilator treatment of airflow obstruction in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) including chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema.

Murine leukemia viruses causing chronic fatigue syndrome?

According to this recent FDA press release:

Researchers have found murine leukemia viruses (MLV) related gene sequences in blood samples collected from patients diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and some healthy blood donors, according to a study published online today by the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Does this support the theory that CFS is caused by some type of viral infection? If that's the case, then wouldn't it be great if we could find an antiviral treatment that would essentially "cure" CFS?

PatientsLikeMe

PatientsLikeMe was started in 2004 by 3 MIT engineers. Illness hit home when a Heywood family member developed ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), and two brothers got together with a friend to develop an online community called PatientsLikeMe.  Here's how it works:

Our goal is to enable people to share information that can improve the lives of patients diagnosed with life-changing diseases. To make this happen, we've created a platform for collecting and sharing real world, outcome-based patient data and are establishing data-sharing partnerships with doctors, pharmaceutical and medical device companies, research organizations, and non-profits.

I think it's so great to see MIT students applying their talent to provide resources for patients and family members. You don't need to be a physician to help patients. Technology offers so many unique ways to serve those who are struggling with life-changing chronic conditions. There are many social support groups and online resources that have allowed patients to get the help they need during some of their most difficult times.

If you're looking for such a resource, visit: http://www.patientslikeme.com

Grand Rounds is at Invisible Illness Week

Grand Rounds Vol 5.47 is over at Invisible Illness Week. What's an invisible illness? It's when you have a medical condition that isn't "visible" to most people. If you can hide your illness from others, then it may be an "invisible" illness because most people can't see that you're visibly "ill." That sounds like most chronic conditions, doesn't it? Depression, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, etc. The bottom line is that many people suffer silently as they hide in their illness. However, there are various support groups out there for people who go through their "silent" and "invisible" illness, so they should not be alone.

To read this week's grand rounds, head over to Invisible Illness Week.

National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week is an official annual campaign sponsored by Rest Ministries in collaboration with other sponsors.