For Immediate Release

Contact: info@stopsarcoidosis.org

MORE THAN 200 JOIN FSR AND MT. SINAI FOR PATIENT CONFERENCE

Chicago, IL (5 November 2011) The Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research partnered with the Dr. Alvin S. Teirstein Sarcoidosis Support Group of the Mount Sinai Medical Center to plan and produce a half-day Sarcoidosis Patient Conference in New York, New York on Saturday, November 5th.

Some of the nation’s best experts on sarcoidosis spoke to a packed room of more than 200 sarcoidosis patients and their family members. Topics presented included Sarcoidosis and the World Trade Center Disaster of 2001, Review of Recent Research Findings and The Empowered Patient. However, the sessions that appeared to be the most popular were the two Question & Answer sessions. Patients came with their questions and event organizers collected more than 100 questions from the crowd. Conference speakers did their best to make it through as many questions as possible and many even shortened their presentations to allow more time for questions.

The number of questions underscored the confusion that many sarcoidosis patients feel, and the lack of information about sarcoidosis that is readily available for patients. The partners of the Sarcoidosis Patient Conference are dedicated to offering sarcoidosis patients and their families opportunities to become educated about the disease. FSR plans to use the questions asked to inform the topics of future webinars and educational programs. An educated patient becomes empowered and engaged in one’s health care and is better equipped to advocate for one’s needs.

The slides and the audio from the conference were recorded, and FSR will make those presentations available shortly for a limited time on their website, www.stopsarcoidosis.org.

UPDATE: To view presentations from the 2011 Sarcoidosis Patient Conference, click here.
 



About Sarcoidosis & FSR
Sarcoidosis (pronounced SAR-COY-DO-SIS) is an inflammatory disease that can affect almost any organ in the body. It causes heightened immunity which means that a person's immune system, which normally protects the body from infection and disease, overreacts, resulting in damage to the body's own tissues. Sarcoidosis is often serious and can even be life-threatening, especially if you do not know you have it. The cause remains unknown and there is no cure.

The Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (FSR) is the nation’s leading organization dedicated to improving care for patients and to finding a cure for this disease. Since 2000, FSR has funded numerous domestic and international research efforts and has provided resources to thousands of patients, their families and their physicians. For more information, please visit www.stopsarcoidosis.org.