Last January, I wrote about how I adapted to having a high-deductible health plan. One way I did that was by putting off physical therapy until I met my deductible. At that point, I’d restart my physical therapy for the year. I hit my deductible in March and…
Technology
The level of variability seen during an ultrasound — a parameter called echo heterogeneity index — may help to quantify the level of skeletal muscle involvement in Pompe disease patients, a new study suggests. A lower EH index in the leg muscles was indicative of worse motor function, as…
The function of the diaphragm, a major muscle in breathing, is significantly reduced over a year in adults with Pompe disease relative to healthy people, a small study showed. These deficits, detected through a chest MRI test, were not accompanied by significant changes in lung function tests. In addition,…
The European Commission is expected to propose a new governing framework for health data next month, called the European Health Data Space (EHDS), with the aim of connecting national health systems to facilitate secure and efficient transfer of data across systems in different European nations. The move is expected to…
The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) has updated its State Report Card to make it more digitally friendly and added telehealth to its categories of rare disease policy issues in a nod to its increased use during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. NORD’s report card project began seven…
Last week, we took my 4-year-old son, Cayden, to the cardiologist, one of the many specialists who help manage Cayden’s complex medical needs. He has been visiting the cardiologist since he was diagnosed with infantile-onset Pompe disease at just 1 month old. When Cayden was diagnosed, he was already…
A rare disease puts an economic burden on the patients, families, and caregivers that it affects, and will no doubt be an integral part of discussions on Rare Disease Day 2022, which brings international awareness about the more than 300 million people living with rare disorders. Part of that…
The nonprofit RARE-X is creating an easily-accessible, centralized data hub for all rare disease patient data that can help researchers answer questions about existing disorders, discover new ones, and work toward finding treatments. It was spun out of the work that Nicole Boice, founder and chief engagement officer of…
A new U.S. initiative called Rare Disease Cures Accelerator–Data and Analytics Platform — dubbed RDCA–DAP — aims to accelerate treatment innovation across rare diseases by sharing existing patient data and promoting the standardization of new data collection. Launched during a virtual workshop in September, the U.S. Food and Drug…
Electrical impedance myography (EIM), a non-invasive and painless muscle test that can be conducted at home, is associated significantly with functional measures in adults with late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD), according to a small study. Notably, similar EIM results were obtained when the test was performed by patients at home using…
Recent Posts
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- What ‘lucky’ really means for a child with Pompe disease