Congressional Briefing 2012

A Congressional briefing "The Multi-Generational Impact of Autoimmune Disease: America's Silent Health Crisis" was held March 28th, 2012, at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill, in Washington, DC. The briefing to bring national attention to the serious issue of autoimmune disease was co-sponsored by the National Coalition of Autoimmune Patient Groups (NCAPG) and the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA). The APS Foundation of America, Inc., Graves' Disease and Thyroid Foundation, International Pemphigus and Pemphigoid Foundation, National Psoriasis Foundation, Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation and the U.S. Pain Foundation were partner sponsors. The briefing opened with Dr. Lindsey Criswell of the University of California who presented "Introduction to the Autoimmune Problem: Genetics and Autoimmune Disease". Next, Dr. Nicole McDonald and her family shared their family's range of members affected with some type of autoimmune disease. Dr. McDonald's teen daughter has Graves' disease (thyroid) and psoriasis (skin conditions), her mother has ulcerative colitis (an autoimmune disease of the colon), her father has Hashimoto's (thyroid disease), her sister has vitiligo and psoriasis (skin conditions), and her first cousin has Ankylosing Spondylitis (autoimmune degeneration in the backbone). Dr. Robert Phillips, Director of the Center for Coping, in Long Island, NY (familiar to those who have attended past ITP conferences), discussed the emotional and family cost implications of autoimmune diseases. Info via www.pdsa.org