just been diagnosed

[gary]

hi
my uncle who is just turned 70 has just been diagnosed with clippers  and am trying to find out more about it  
he was diagnosed 7 weeks ago
within 5 days of going into hospital they were able to diagnose the disease
 and immediatly they started steriod treatment he unded up with a massive infection due to dr stuffing up his iv and then had to stop steriod treatment   and once infection was gone they restarted  steriods

he is currently on 50 mg prednisolone and will be dropping to 40mg this week  
is there anyone who has info on how he may have contracted this disease  or anything like that
any info would be great

[Will]

Your uncle got a quick diagnosis. Side effects are the worst part of the treatment. Infections happen. Be careful and follow the doctor's advice.
I was on 60 mg/day for 3 to 6 months (I can't remember) before starting my taper. It has been 4 years and I'm only tapered to 14mg/day.

"is there anyone who has info on how he may have contracted this disease  or anything like that"

No.

[BillCrum]

"is there anyone who has info on how he may have contracted this disease  or anything like that"

Hi  Gary,

To the best of my knowledge, nobody yet knows anything about how this condition works. It seems certain that you don't "catch it", but that it more likely gets "switched on", maybe because of genetic and/or environmental effects.

There are a few isolated case studies suggesting that it could be triggered by other illnesses but no real evidence. The reported cases seem to have little in common. Overall it seems more likely to appear in people aged between 40 and 60 but older and younger cases also appear.

CLIPPERS is often referred to as an auto-immune disease - i.e. where the body attacks itself - which is why the drug treatments main function is to suppress part of the immune system. However the exact mechanism of the disease and it's treatment is unknown.

By definition, sufferers should see at least some improvement from steroid treatment. Being diagnosed and treated quickly appears to improve prospects. I was diagnosed within about 3 months, including being investigated for a month in hospital, and this was considered quite a quick diagnosis at the time.

Best Wishes

-Bill