Tuesday, March 24, 2015

AARDA's National Survey Examines Prevalence of Autoimmune Fatigue

In a story released yesterday via Newswise, the AARDA announced results of a large national survey:

“In this busy, busy world, it’s normal to be tired, but the kind of fatigue autoimmune disease patients suffer from is anything but normal,” said Virginia T. Ladd, President and Executive Director of AARDA. 
“The overwhelming response AARDA received to this survey shows without a shadow of doubt that fatigue is not a ‘fuzzy’ symptom, it’s real. Yet, for too long, it has been ignored and/or misunderstood by the medical community and the public at large. It’s time we bring more research funding to this issue to advance understanding and effective treatments for fatigue.”.....continue reading here
I couldn't agree more with both Ms. Ladd's quote as well as the survey findings:
Fatigue described as “profound,” “debilitating,” and “preventing them from doing the simplest everyday tasks,” is a major issue for autoimmune disease (AD) patients, impacting nearly every aspect of their lives. It affects their mental and emotional well-being and their ability to work. And while most AD patients have discussed their fatigue with their physicians, many have not been prescribed treatment for their fatigue.
Profound. Debilitating. A major issue.

Yup. Sounds about right. It IS high time that more attention and research is directed toward this most difficult aspect of autoimmune disease.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I'm so glad someone in paying attention, finally. I only hope an answer comes very soon so that we can get back to our lives.

Anonymous said...

Not a fuzzy symptom...duh! My primary care doctor has thrown up her hands in regards to fatigue. Surprisingly, my psychiatrist is the only one who continues to help me battle fatigue by suggesting new approaches. I can't imagine not having him on my team!

I'm so happy to hear that this will be a focus of AARDA.

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