illness

23/03/2022

Update of PNH guideline

Photo: psdesign1_fotolia

 

Guidelines are summaries of the current scientific knowledge about a disease – in addition to a complete list of possible symptoms and the most targeted diagnostic methods, you can read about the best possible treatment options according to the current state of knowledge. They serve primarily as a non-binding guide for doctors, but also contain interesting information for patients. Every now and then, guidelines are updated so that the findings of new studies can be incorporated into everyday medical practice - this is exactly what happened this month for the PNH guideline of the German Society of Haematology and Medical Oncology (DGHO) . The last version was still from November 2019 and a revision was necessary in particular to bring recommendations on the use of new drug therapy options up to the status of 2022: Specifically, we are talking about pegcetacoplan, the new C3 complement inhibitor, which has been approved in the EU since December 2021 under the trade name Aspaveli® and, according to the manufacturer Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (Sobi), is expected to be available as a therapy option in Germany from April 2022. READ MORE

By Ulrike
22/12/2021

Approval of pegcetacoplan for PNH patients

blood cells

On 13 December 2021 a new drug for the treatment of adult patients with PNH was approved in the EU: The substance pegcetacoplan which inhibits specific processes in the immune system will probably be available in Germany in the beginning of 2022. Its trade name is Aspaveli®.

The drug is a so-called C3 complement inhibitor: The complement system is part of the body's own immune system which in PNH attacks the red blood cells (erythrocytes) and destroys them. Pegcetacoplan inhibits a certain part of the complement system and thereby the destruction of red blood cells outside the blood vessels (extravascular), leading to an improved life cycle of the erythrocytes and improved haemoglobin levels.

Pegecetacoplan is approved for patients who remain anaemic despite treatment with a C5 inhibitor (eculizumab or ravulizumab) for at least 3 months. C5 is also part of the complement system. The drug is administered twice a week as a subcutaneous infusion. Among the most common side effects are reactions at the injection site, infections of the upper respiratory tract, headache, abdominal pain, and diarrhoea.

"Summary of product characteristics" by the European Medicines Agency EMA.

The drug is not entirely new: On 5 April of this year, we already reported in detail on the mechanism of action and the current studies on it in a blog post on our website.

By admin
06/10/2021

Studying with an invisible disability – a student explains

Woman at desk taking notes.

 

A disability - what is it actually? This question is not so easy to answer, because what is commonly understood as a disability can come in many forms and expressions - and then there is also the type of disability that is not noticed at first glance: we are talking about the so-called "invisible disability" . Examples of this are chronic illnesses and disabilities, which are associated with fatigue and rapid exhaustion and thus impair social participation. Aplastic anemia and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria can also be included. While in the case of invisible disabilities the possible stigmatization by others does not apply from minute one of getting to know each other, this non-recognition of the disability also leads to expectations that are sometimes overwhelming. Ly Tran has to struggle with this again and again: Ly is a linguistics student and reports in the podcast seriesREAD MORE
By Ulrike
05/09/2021

Third vaccination seems to increase protection against corona in immunosuppressive therapy

Syringe with vial for vaccination © weyo

Vaccination, vaccination, vaccination - there are few other topics that dominate the media, politics, but also our conversations with family and friends so much at the moment: Rightly, because the development of vaccines against the coronavirus and the increasing "vaccination coverage" of the population feed the hope of overcoming this crisis at some point.

For a few months, however, there have been indications that the corona vaccination does not work equally well for all people: A study from March of this year found that people taking immunosuppressive therapy are less able to develop protection against a COVID-19 infection than people without this medication. This can be easily explained:READ MORE

By Ulrike
26/07/2021

our virtual group

Mug and Notebook (c) Chris Montgomery on Unsplash

We introduced our regular virtual meetings when we had to cancel our local group meetings due to the pandemic. We didn't know whether anyone would even be interested in sitting in front of the screen and talking to people who were initially unknown about their experiences with aplastic anaemia and PNH. It has now been almost a year since we held our first "trial meeting", and our virtual group has established itself as an independent group.

We are very happy about this and thank you for your encouragement, empathy and loyalty.

The meetings continue to take place every third Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. and we look forward to meeting "old friends" as well as new faces.

next meeting

By Ulrike
29/05/2021

Survey on COVID-19 at AA and PNH

Spritze mit Fläschchen für Impfung © weyo

Dear AA / PNH fellow patients,

Some time ago we informed you about a survey initiated by our association in cooperation with the lichter zellen foundation . The purpose of this survey is to record the effects that COVID-19 vaccination has on our patient group. At the same time, AA / PNH patients who have recovered from a COVID-19 disease can also take part in the survey.

We were able to make the survey known around the world, among other things, through the global network PNH Global Alliance . In the meantime, 72 patients from Germany, Austria and Switzerland and 12 patients from Europe have taken part in our survey. We are particularly pleased about the participation of 8 patients so far from Australia, Iran, Canada, Turkey and the USA.

This gives us the chance to make the results of this survey available to science in order to enable better care for our relatively small patient group in the future.

In order to achieve meaningful results, we are still dependent on the active participation of AA / PNH patients. Please pay attention to our survey and take a few minutes to answer the anonymous survey. You are helping all AA and PNH patients.

READ MORE
By Ulrike
28/05/2021

Workshop on AA / PNH on June 14th, 2021

Notebook und Becher © Chris Montgomery on Unsplash

A virtual workshop on aplastic anemia and PNH will take place on Monday, June 14th, 2021 at 5 p.m. Prof. Dr. Jörg Westermann from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin will inform you about the origin, diagnosis and treatment options for both diseases and is available to answer any questions. Afterwards, the participants have the opportunity to exchange experiences with one another.

The workshop is part of the DLH patient congress ( Deutsche Leukämie- & Lymphom-Hilfe eV ), which also offers numerous other workshops on, in some cases, cross-disease topics. Take a look at the program and register at https://www.dlh-kongress.de/der-kongress/online-anmeldung/ .

*** Attention! The workshop is not recorded so you cannot watch it later! ***



By Ulrike
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