March is Autoimmune Disease Awareness Month. An estimated 50 million Americans live with an autoimmune disease, which includes more than 100 identified conditions. Some of these can require blood transfusions for treatment, including autoimmune hemolytic anemia and autoimmune rheumatic disease.
Donors can ensure these patients have the treatment they need by giving blood. But did you know there’s another way you can help? By signing up to potentially participate in a research project with the LifeSouth Research Institute, blood donors and those who may be ineligible to donate can help patients in their community by contributing to research that could lead to breakthroughs in medical science. Participation by those with autoimmune diseases are especially important for these studies, as they could potentially impact the development of treatments and therapies for themselves, and others suffering from these conditions.
Autoimmune diseases include:
- Celiac Disease
- Crohn’s Disease
- Lupus (Systemic Lupus Erythematosis)
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Sjogren’s Disease
- Type 1 Diabetes
- Ulcerative Colitis
Find out if you may be eligible to help autoimmune patients through a research study. To learn more, visit https://www.lifesouth.org/research-institute or email research@lifesouth.org
