Los Angeles, CA, January 09, 2014 – In an ongoing effort to improve mitochondrial disease patient care, MitoAction, in collaboration with the organization’s Medical Advisory Committee, will host the 2014 Mitochondrial Disease Clinical Conference Los Angeles on Feb. 8, 2014 at the Intercontinental Century City, Los Angeles.
The conference will offer physicians and specialists — who are not mitochondrial experts — an opportunity to understand more about identifying mitochondrial diseases, managing adults and children with mitochondrial disorders, and assisting patients with treatment options and coordinated care. Expert faculty will provide the most clinically relevant information with the intention of helping to educate healthcare providers about specific strategies for helping the mitochondrial disease patient. The conference has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint sponsorship of Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM) and MitoAction.
„As the number of patients diagnosed with mitochondrial disease continues to grow and effective treatments are on the horizon, it is very important that healthcare workers, physicians, and nurses become familiar with the diagnosis, treatment, and healthcare needs of this population of children and adults with multi-system, often life-threatening disease,“ said Richard Haas, MD, of the University of California, San Diego’s Mitochondrial Disease Lab and one of the conference presenters.
Mitochondrial disease — known as „Mito“ — is an inherited chronic illness that causes debilitating physical, developmental, and mental disabilities. You can be born with it or it can develop later in life. It’s progressive and there is no cure. About 1 in 2,000 people has Mito. Symptoms include poor growth, loss of muscle coordination, muscle weakness and pain, seizures, vision and/or hearing loss, gastrointestinal issues, learning disabilities, and heart, liver, or kidney failure. Mito is also related to autism, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s.
„Most clinicians have little knowledge on mitochondrial medicine and may think that these disorders are rare, but they probably have several patients with mitochondrial disease. Identifying these patients is very important,“ said Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Medical Geneticist Richard Boles, MD, a conference presenter and Medical Director for Courtagen Life Sciences, Inc. „In many cases, mitochondrial-targeted therapies are easy to deliver and quite effective, relieving suffering, reducing hospitalizations, and/or even preventing death. This conference is designed to provide clinicians with the tools to do this in the context of a busy practice.“
In addition to Drs. Haas and Boles, course directors include Mark Korson, MD, Tufts Floating Hospital, Boston; Greg Enns, MD, Children’s Hospital at Stanford; Calvin Lowe, MD, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and Cristy Balcells, RN MSN, Executive Director of MitoAction.
MitoAction’s medical education initiatives are made possible through grant support from the Sermoonjoy Fund, Edison Pharmaceuticals, Stealth Peptides, and Courtagen Life Sciences, Inc.
To register or for more information, please visit http://www.mitoaction.org/LAconference or email info(at)mitoaction(dot)org.
MitoAction is a 501(c)(3) charity formally incorporated in 2005 to provide programs and resources centered on support, education, and advocacy for patients and families affected by mitochondrial disease. For more information, visit http://www.mitoaction.org.
Press Contact:
Cristy Balcells
MitoAction
Los Angeles, CA
+1 6175042357
http://www.mitoaction.org/walk