IM and CHF - it isn't just about ten patients....

July 25, 2006

Hello All,

Given that CML is a disease that has a higher rate of incidence among the

middle age population, the information on the possibility of IM to cause CHF

is pretty relevant. If we look at the American population for instance we

see that the incidence of obesity continues to rise. We know that diabetes,

high blood pressure and other health issues are linked to obesity. The

question is, given that CML strikes more people in their mid 50 " s and

beyond, coupled with the incidence of obesity then how many people will

arrive at middle age without any other health problems? Probably not very

many. For those of us who are younger and in relatively good health this is

less of an issue, although, I have to tell you I have no family history of

heart problems (I was 43 at dx) and other than CML I have always been fairly

healthy, but I still have been very diligent about monitoring my heart

health throughout my " career " of CML.

Anyway, if the rate of prevalence in 2001 of people living in the US with

obesity was 20%, we can make an extrapolation: 100,000 are currently on

Gleevec treatment in the world today. The literature states that 20% of

these per year will either develop resistance or be unable to tolerate IM.

Perhaps it is not so difficult to imagine that 20% of the people being

diagnosed will have other issues that put them at risk for " rigorous "

treatment approaches. This changes the numbers dramatically and gives us

all something to think about.

It isn't difficult to imagine that it is not just about those 10 patients,

and I'd like to say that if I was one of those 10 patients, I am not so sure

I would like to be brushed aside so lightly, the bigger issue is the larger

group of patients who will be underserved.

The lesson learned is that we really need to educate our children about the

importance of building and maintaining good health throughout our lifetime.

This also reminds us that we can do everything possible to strive for good

health in spite of being dxed with CML.

Food for thought?

Cheers, Peace and all good things,

Cheryl-Anne

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