Some people should die ... Pigs in Zen ... The presidents disease was diagnosed this month, the first ladys in January 1990, and Millies last summer. In 16 months, three members of the Bush household have contracted a disease in which the immune system, for unknown reasons, interferes with the bodys own tissues. The cluster of cases may be pure coincidence. But could whatever caused Millies lupus also have induced the Graves disease that has afflicted Mr. Bush and his wife? That is a possibility that has intrigued medical experts around the country, and it is now being considered by the presidents physician, Dr. Burton J. Lee III. Scientists have long suspected that microbes or other environmental factors might set off autoimmune disorders like lupus and Graves disease among the individuals, human or animal, who are genetically susceptible. Among the current suspects are a bacterium known as Yersinia enterocolitica and entities known as retroviruses, but nothing has been proved regarding either. Could such an agent lurk either in the White House or the former Naval Observatory where the Bushes lived for eight years, from 1981 to 1989, when Mr. Bush was vice president? Last summer, three and a half years after she joined the Bush household, Millie, a springer spaniel who has been the subject of a best-selling book, developed what was later diagnosed as lupus. The uncommon disorder of humans and dogs can cause a butterfly-shaped rash on the face; anemia, arthritis and kidney damage. Lupus is considered a classic model of an autoimmune disease. Millies malady has been treated with a steroid drug, prednisone, said Dr. Lee. She was given a bad prognosis, but now she is doing pretty well, off prednisone, he said. As in humans, the cause of lupus in dogs is unknown, but environmental factors seem to be important. Although some reports have hinted at links between lupus in families and in their household pets, documented transmission from dogs to humans lacking. Graves disease is another classic autoimmune disorder. It causes the thyroid gland in the neck to produce too much of the hormone that controls the bodys metabolism. Graves disease is much more common in women than men for reasons that remain uncertain. The Bushes doctors have called the coincidence bizarre and have cited chances of 1 in 3 million that a husband and wife would develop Graves disease. Other experts, like Dr. Paul W. Ladenson at Johns Hopkins Hospital, have come up with an estimate of 1 in 100,000. The coincidence has been a prime topic of discussion among thyroid experts and other doctors around the country, including those treating the Bushes. Only two thyroid experts among a dozen interviewed said they had ever diagnosed Graves disease in a couple. articles.baltimoresun/1991-05-28/news/1991148056_1_graves-disease-autoimmune-disease-millie
Posted on: Sat, 19 Jul 2014 16:26:54 +0000
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