As we close out July, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on Chronic Disease Awareness Day, which happens yearly on July 10th. This date, chosen with intention, highlights the fact that 7 out of 10 deaths in the U.S are caused by chronic disease. As a result, July 10th has become a day of advocacy and conversation, to spread awareness of the toll chronic disease is taking on our communities. This month, I’d like to highlight encouraging public health advances reshaping chronic disease care and access. I invite you to read on and learn further about any of the topics below that interest you!
Advancements in Non-Opioid Pain Relief:
This revolutionary advancement in pain management can offer “non-addictive pain relief” to those suffering from chronic disease or other conditions that require pain medication like opioids, according to UPenn Medicine.
Opioids come with many benefits, but a serious downside is the addictive nature of the drugs. According to the Cleveland Clinic, opioids function by “interacting with nerve cells to reduce pain signals from reaching your brain.” While this is highly effective in regulating pain, the downside is the influence it has on your brain’s reward system: you can become physiologically and psychologically dependent on the drug.
But according to UPenn Medicine, this preclinical study found “a new gene therapy that targets pain centers in the brain while eliminating the risk of addiction from narcotics treatments.”
While this innovation is promising, it also raises an important question: who will have access to safe and more effective pain management? Historically, non-white individuals with chronic pain are often dismissed or undertreated. Implicit racial bias prevents individuals from marginalized populations from getting the care they deserve.
Studies such as this one from the NIH show the disparities in care caused by implicit bias. Hopefully, this advancement can help make pain management more equitable by reducing addiction-related assumptions unfairly placed on certain populations. To read more about this gene therapy, check out more information from UPenn Medicine, and Science Daily.
Advancements in Sickle Cell Care:
This piece from the Washington Post highlights the story of Daniel Cressy, a 23-year-old man that was “functionally cured” of Sickle Cell Disease.
As stated by the NIH, sickle cell disease is the product of a genetic mutation that causes red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body, to be formed in the shape of a crescent. As a result, the red blood cells cannot move or function as easily, causing blockages throughout the body. The onset of pain and health complications as a result of this can be debilitating, but this new treatment provides hope.
Cressy received Casgevy’s CRISPR/Cas9 technology, which “helps prevent the sickling of red blood cells,” according to the Manning Family’s Children’s Hospital, where he received his care. This treatment signals progress toward better, more accessible SCD care—an important step given the disease’s history of underfunding and limited research, as noted by the New York Medical College.
That report outlines a study done by Dr. Jia Yi Tan, where she found how severe the impact of social vulnerability has on the life outcomes of those with sickle cell disease. “Those with the highest social vulnerability [are] nearly five times more likely to die from SCD as compared to those with the lowest vulnerability.”
As these advances continue, they must reach the communities most affected and support what Dr. Jia Yi Tan calls “a more comprehensive approach to health care for adults with SCD.”
To learn more, read the Washington Post article and the Manning Family Children’s Hospital piece here!
New Cholesterol Guidelines:
These advancements in cholesterol guidelines call for “earlier screenings and more use in assessing rick of a person’s family history of atherosclerosis, underlying medical conditions, like rheumatoid arthritis, and lifetime risks, such as early menopause or having certain pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia” says Johns Hopkins Medicine.
These guidelines mark a real shift toward prevention — catching cholesterol issues earlier means fewer people facing avoidable health complications down the line. Combined with more personalized, expanded treatment options, this could be life changing, says ScienceDaily. These guidelines can also help correct implicit bias in care.
NIH-published research shows women with familial hypercholesterolemia are often undertreated for cholesterol management, a gap worsened by limited awareness of the condition. Control over one’s LDL-C can change the lives of individuals navigating FH, especially when it is caught early. This makes it all the more meaningful that these guidelines now acknowledge risk factors specific to female health.”
Check out more information on the guidelines from ScienceDaily as well as says Johns Hopkins Medicine.
These stories show progress in prevention, treatment, and equity. But beyond the science, each one really speaks to the people it can reach and lives it can change. If these three stories are any indication, there is a lot of hope and innovation in the field of chronic disease care.
________________________________________
This blog post was written by Laya Raju, a student at Boston University who is passionate about information accessibility, community advocacy, and health equity within the field of public health.
