Multisystem diseases are disorders that affect multiple body systems. Dysautonomia, mast cell activation syndrome, the antiphospholipid syndrome and other autoimmune disorders and the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes are all multisystem disorders and they may--not infrequently--co-exist. The limited knowledge of these conditions by many physicians as well as their complexity and disabling nature has led to challenges for patients as well as for providers and staff working to provide care to this patient population.
These disorders don't fit neatly into the traditional specialty areas of medicine, e.g. cardiology, pulmonology, hematology. As a result, patients often go from specialist to specialist, each focusing on their specific area of interest, but no one taking “ownership” of the patient or looking at the whole patient. To make matters worse, most insurance companies and disability carriers do not recognize these disorders and how disabling they may be nor the time it takes to manage them.
The Center for Multisystem Disease aims to provide comprehensive care to patients with these conditions. If you have felt like no one understands your illness or if you have been told there is nothing wrong with you or that your symptoms are "all in your head," you are not alone. At the Center for Multisystem Disease, you will find a community of other patients suffering from the same conditions, who have walked a similar road and who understand exactly what you are experiencing. Your symptoms will not be discounted and we work hard to determine if there are important underlying causes related to your condition with the goal of targeting the underlying disorders, rather than just targeting each symptom with "bandaid" therapies and teaching you how to cope.
There is increasing evidence suggesting the importance of an anti-inflammatory, "real-food" diet, exercise and stress reduction techniques in the management of the chronic illnesses we treat and we encourage a healthy lifestyle as part of our treatment plan. Lastly, there is a great need for research into these disorders and we are establishing a non-profit Multisystem Disease Research Fund to support clinical research in these areas.
