LUPUS is the major rheumatological disorder affecting Barbadian women in their reproductive and most productive years, the Arnott Cato Foundation is reporting.
The disorder affects about 25 people annually.
The foundation said that it had learnt that 50 per cent of affected individuals developed kidney disease within three years of disease onset, and severe kidney disease was in turn linked to poor clinical outcomes.
“Rheumatoid arthritis is another rheumatological disorder that results in joint damage that affects at least 500 Barbadians, causing severe disability,” it stated in a release.
The foundation, in association with the Peter Moores Barbados Trust, has funded the establishment of a national rheumatic disease registry. The registry documents people affected by lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and other less commonly occurring rheumatological diseases. The registry is managed by the Chronic Disease Research Centre in collaboration with consultant rheumatologist Dr Cindy Flower.
The registry aims to document the frequency of various rheumatological diseases, their clinical characteristics, the efficacy of treatment and clinical outcomes. This information will ultimately assist in a better understanding of these conditions in order to improve clinical management, health care planning and rehabilitation.
The registry has the support and commitment of the Hope Foundation.
Commenting on the development of the registry, chairman of the Arnott Cato Foundation, Sir Carlisle Burton, said he was pleased that the registry had come to fruition with the assistance of the Peter Moores Barbados Trust, which supplied the major funding; Flower, who led the execution of the project, and the Chronic Disease Research Centre and Hope Foundation for invaluable support of this project. (PR)
