Autoimmune Life Blog

You’ve probably heard of Down syndrome. You may even remember that it’s caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21. But fewer people know that almost half of those with Down syndrome have an autoimmune disease. Or that they are at lower risk of solid tumor cancers like breast cancer.

Among the many mysteries of autoimmune diseases, we know one thing for sure: These diseases are connected. They often occur when immune cells called T cells mistakenly attack healthy tissue — say the pancreas in type 1 diabetes (T1D) or the gut in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

BRI’s vision is to create a healthy immune system for everyone. But before we can do that, we need to answer a key question: What exactly does a healthy immune system look like?

Monoclonal antibodies have been getting a lot of attention as a treatment for COVID-19. Monoclonal antibody infusion centers for COVID-19 patients are opening at Virginia Mason and across the country. But what exactly are monoclonal antibodies? How do they work and who needs them?

Before COVID-19, having the sniffles or a mild headache was rarely cause for concern. Now, it’s common practice to stay home at the first sign of a cold. This is one of the reasons that there was very low flu activity during last year's flu season. But will that trend continue this year?

The transition from elementary school to middle school is a big step for any kid. Multiple teachers instead of one, new letter grades, no recess. It’s a different world, especially when most of fifth grade took place at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

When Grace Pilo is in a ballet performance, she uses a continuous glucose monitor and insulin pump to make sure her blood sugar stays in a healthy range throughout the show.

We’ve become hyper-aware of health hazards spread through the air, and that isn’t limited to infectious diseases like COVID-19. Another problem is becoming alarmingly commonplace: wildfire smoke.

It was the dead of the night in Brisbane, Australia. Maree Doolan, then a nurse, was in the middle of a long shift. “We were messing around and decided to take our blood sugars,” she says. “I was shocked that mine was quite high, in the 280 range.

It’s the 1990s in Seattle. Grunge music is getting national play. Amazon operates out of a garage. And a mysterious protein catches the eye of Steve Ziegler, PhD.