SAN ANTONIO — When you have an autoimmune disease like rheumatoid arthritis, finding the right therapy can often result in more pain. For those with rheumatoid arthritis, finding that therapy is often trial and error that can often lead to disease progression.
But now, a new blood test called PrismRA is changing the game.
Dr. Sam Asgarian, the Chief Medical Officer of Scipher told us, "What it's actually doing is using all the advancements in gene sequencing, and understanding DNA and proteins, to truly understand what's causing the person's body to attack their joints."
It gives the doctor a snapshot in that moment, allowing the doctor to see what could happen over time. Dr. Asgarian added, "There's different reasons for it, and as you can imagine, that means that there's different prescriptions that you can prescribe that target those areas that are acting incorrectly."
In the U.S., 1.6 million people have rheumatoid arthritis. Out of every 100,000 people, 71 are diagnosed every year. Here in Texas, one out of five people have a rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis. And women are about two to three times more likely to develop the condition than men.
Dr. Asgarian said, "A lot of them -- multiple sclerosis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, we see that disproportionately impact women than men."
Dr. Asgarian's goal is to bring this therapy to the hands of the doctors, and the patients they treat. He told us, "It's really as simple as having a conversation with your doctor, both your primary care doctor as well as your rheumatologist."
To find out more about PrismRA, click here.
And to learn more about rheumatoid arthritis click here.
For more information on family health, call 210-358-3045. You can also find more Wear The Gown stories here.
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