Graft-versus-host disease, or GVHD, is a rare disease that commonly impacts allogeneic (meaning cells come from a donor) blood and marrow transplant recipients.1
Living with GVHD can be overwhelming for patients, as well as their caregivers and family. The disease creates many daily life challenges which can adversely affect physical functioning, bodily pain, chronic fatigue, general health, vitality, and social functioning, among other things.2 People living with GVHD can also face physical, functional, and psychosocial deficits that result in the inability to return to work or school.2
Since people living with GVHD may lack access to valuable resources that can help them live their best lives, leading transplant groups (with support from Sanofi) have formed the GVHD Alliance to bridge the gaps that exist in the unmet needs of the patient community. The first GVHD Day on February 17, 2023, will elevate voices in support of people impacted by the condition.
Dr. Corey Cutler, MD, MPH, FRCPC, Medical Director, Stem Cell Transplant Program, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Vice President, American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) and GVHD patient Meredith A. Cowden, MA, AT, LPCC-S, Patient Advocacy Director of the Meredith A. Cowden Foundation, will be available on Thursday, February 2nd to discuss the inaugural GVHD Day, the importance of bringing attention to this rare disease, and a new website for the GVHD community to access a variety of educational resources and support tools.
When you book a window, we’ll provide you with guest bio & suggested questions. Interview is courtesy: Sanofi
References
1. Justiz Vaillant AA, Modi P, Mohammadi O. Graft versus host disease. In:
StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2022. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538235. Accessed November 10, 2022.
2. Lee SJ. Classification systems for chronic graft-versus-host disease. Blood. 2017;129(1):30-37.
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