PSA Launched to Raise Awareness for MMN
- By BSTQ Staff
The Neuropathy Action Foundation (NAF) and the GBS/CIDP Foundation International have launched a joint nationwide campaign to raise awareness of multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN), a rare and incurable neurological condition in which multiple motor nerves are attacked by the immune system. The national campaign will include an educational MMN-specific brochure, as well as a public service announcement (PSA) to help patients and medical professionals identify, treat and manage the progressive condition.
“Multifocal motor neuropathy is a serious but treatable condition where early and accurate diagnosis is critical to preserving the livelihood of those touched by the disease. The ability to control the progression of MMN is directly related to how quickly the disease is correctly diagnosed,” said NAF founder Dominick Spatafora. “I was originally diagnosed with ALS and told that I had only three to five years to live. It took more than a year before I was correctly diagnosed with MMN and began receiving the life-sustaining IVIG [intravenous immune globulin] treatments that continue to help me 10 years later.”
Although MMN is a rare disease — likely affecting no more than one to two in 100,000 people — it can cause serious disability if not correctly diagnosed. Most MMN patients are originally misdiagnosed multiple times before correctly being diagnosed with MMN, and the correct diagnosis may take years. To view the PSA, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjOg_YIwhcE&feature=plcp&nomobile=1.
