A Look at Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) – The Fatal Lung Disease

A rare and fatal lung disease Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), predominantly affecting women of all genders (this lung disease rarely affects men), and of childbearing age (LAM reported in patients 12 to 70 years old), was first described in the medical literature by Von. Stosesel in 1937. The disease is characterized by an unusual type of muscle cells that include the tissue of the lungs (including airways), blood vessels and lymphatics (Part of the lymphatic system that produces and transports lymph fluid from the tissues to the circulatory system. The most critical to maintain a healthy immune system. These cells are not thought to be cancer-like. Eventually these muscle cells grow into the walls of the airways, and blood and lymphatic vessels cause them to become obstructed. Here, the flow of air, blood and lymphatic vessels to and from the lungs is blocked. This prevents the lungs from providing pain to the rest of the body. At least fifty percent of patients develop a kidney tumor called angiomyolipoma.Approximately, 2.5 percent of patients with tuberous sclerosis (a genetic disease that causes benign tumors to grow inside the lungs) develop an identical disease that occurs in LAM. Symptoms associated with LAM include: Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing (dyspnoea), especially during periods of exercise or exertion, chest pain and He is tired. In the worst cases, complications lead to a collapsed lung or fluid accumulation around the lung (pleural effusion). This could potentially lead to chronic respiratory failure, and will inevitably require supplemental oxygen. Fortunately, survival time increased to more than 20 years after diagnosis.

Vera Krymskaya, PhD, Research Associate Professor of Medicine in the Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Division at the School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, dedicated to the greatest research as a method< Finding a treatment for Lymphangioleiomyomatosis. It was discovered in 2002, muscle growth cells that invade lung tissue, controlled or treatable by Rapamycin (drug) Food and drugs approved by the administration. The drug mimics the function of missing proteins that contribute to causing LAM. His discovery leads to the first clinical trial ever for LAM. LAM research is funded by the LAM Foundation and various grants from National-institutes-of-health”>National Institutes of Health prepared

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis is either undiagnosed or misdiagnosed (Scientists estimate that there are as many as 250,00 – 300,000 LAM patients worldwide) with symptoms (including shortness of breath on exertion) related to asthma, bronchitis or emphysema by doctors. Tests for the diagnosis of lung diseases include: Chest x-ray, lung function test, Blood Tests, Chest CT Scan (the most reliable considered), and Lung biopsy. According to Dr. True Krymskaya, with the early stages of LAM diagnosis, patients can be treated better and before the damage is done. lung, seeking a transplant. One-year survival after lung transplant is about 70 percent and three-year survival is about 50 percent. Patients are recommended to maintain a healthy diet, exercise, plenty of rest, and not smoke at all.

Sue Bymes founded the LAM Foundation (known as LAM after her daughter), an international nonprofit organization for research-directed training, support , and a remedy for lung disease. Deeply understanding the genetic cause of Lymphangioleiomyomatosis and hope for treatment options. Before the establishment of this regulation, LAM was often described as an “isolated disease”. On August 2005, the LAM Foundation celebrated its . The LAM Foundation has raised nearly $8.7 million.

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