By Lindsay Key
People living with myositis learned about research to advance understanding and treatment of the disease during presentations and a tour of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland on Sept. 6. Myositis refers to a set of autoimmune diseases involving chronic inflammation of the muscles. An estimated 75,000 people living in the United States are affected, according to The Myositis Association (TMA).
NIEHS partnered with the NIH Clinical Center, the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), and TMA to coordinate the inaugural event. Patients and caregivers attended research-focused talks, toured clinical research facilities, and learned how to enroll in NIH studies. The small group tours, which were led by staff from the NIEHS Environmental Autoimmunity Group and NIAMS research groups studying juvenile and adult myositis, helped attendees get an idea of what it is like to be a patient at the NIH Clinical Center.