On the 26th September, it is World Contraception Day with the mission to spread the word and raise awareness about contraception and safe sex, enabling young people to make informed choices on their sexual and reproductive health.
New treatments for chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), a form of blood cancer, have transformed patient outcomes over the past 20 years. Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKI) enable CML to be well controlled for most people, and many individuals will live a normal life span. However, early diagnosis and intervention is key to the effective management of this slowly progressing form of leukaemia.
The prevalence of lymphoma was recently highlighted when former Top Ten tennis player Carla Suarez Navarro withdrew from the US Open following her diagnosis with Hodgkin Lymphoma. Lymphoma is the most common form of blood cancer, with an individual diagnosed every 27 minutes. Over 735,000 people diagnosed with lymphoma, including Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL), every year across the world.
Hepatitis is one of the leading causes of death globally, killing more people each year than AIDS and malaria combined. While these deaths are preventable with the availability of vaccines, effective treatments and a cure for hepatitis C, only 10% of people who live with the disease are aware of their diagnosis. As a result, they may unknowingly transmit the infection to others, before possibly developing fatal liver disease.
Allergy is the most common chronic disease in Europe. Currently affecting more than 150 million people, the EAACI predicts that by 2025 half of the entire EU population will suffer from chronic allergic diseases. Furthermore, up to 20% of patients with allergies struggle daily with the fear of a possible asthma attack, anaphylactic shock or even death from an allergic reaction.
It is just over a decade since the United Nations General Assembly recognised sickle cell disease (SCD) as a public health problem and “one of the world’s foremost genetic diseases.” In 2020, the 15,000 people living with SCD in the UK are in the extremely vulnerable group required to shield during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The implications for mental health of isolation and loneliness have become very apparent over the last few months, but it is a constant issue for those whose lives are continually restricted through illness, such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This year’s World MS Day on May 30th is challenging the social barriers that leave people affected by MS feeling lonely and isolated.
The death of TV presenter Caroline Flack just weeks before the COVID-19 induced lockdown inspired an outpouring of national grief. It sparked not only awareness of the need to better understand mental health but also prompted hundreds of thousands of people to share Caroline’s own words on social media: “In a world where you can be anything, be kind."
Leveraging Data to Prioritise Clinical Intervention and Support Self-Care
It takes on average 13 years from first symptoms to achieve a diagnosis of coeliac disease. Often confused with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), just 30% of people with coeliac disease are currently diagnosed according to Coeliac UK.