The Vasculitis Foundation, the world’s largest organization dedicated to providing advocacy, education and support for people with vasculitis, announces the launch of Vasculitis Awareness Month (May 2018), an annual effort to create global awareness of the disease that’s so rare that fewer than 200,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.
Vasculitis Foundation marks May 2018 as Vasculitis Awareness Month, announces four weeks of programs, events and more to inform public
“This month, the Vasculitis Foundation will join forces with the vasculitis community around the world to achieve our dreams: faster diagnosis; better, less invasive treatments; and, ultimately, a cure for all forms of the disease,” said Joyce Kullman, executive director of the Vasculitis Foundation. “Over the next four weeks, we’ll educate and inform the public about vasculitis through a wide variety of initiatives,”
A full list of awareness initiatives is available here.
“We strongly urge everyone to participate in raising awareness of Vasculitis by doing everything possible to tell the world about this disease, the need for support and our hope for a cure—which is everyone’s big dream,” said Kullman, adding that the foundation’s theme for all of 2018 is “Dream Big,”
Vasculitis is a condition that involves inflammation of the blood vessels and strikes people of all ages, from the very young to the elderly. It occurs if your immune system attacks your blood vessels by mistake. This can happen as the result of an infection, or it could be caused by a medicine or another disease or condition. Inflammation can lead to serious complications. There is no known cause or cure for vasculitis. Receiving an early diagnosis and effective treatment are critical to a patient regaining his or her health.
According to Kullman, each week during Vasculitis Awareness Month has its own specific area of focus, and a variety of programs, events, videos, and other initiatives will be rolled out each week to help create awareness of the diseases.
