Thursday, November 8, 2007

Celiac Disease Corrected by Bone Marrow Transplant?

Well, I'd be the first to say that I think my reading list might be a bit eclectic, and I may not understand the medicine, but this article seemed like big news to me. Medicine is amazing.

It really has me thinking forward. What would the world be like for CD if there were a cure (albeit extreme and expensive)?

The Celiac community has been wandering in the gaps of the medical profession for decades -- this could put us square on it.
  • Would people even sign up for a bone marrow transplant to cure their CD? (Not me - but a career baker might?)
  • Would the medical profession allow it as too risky for a non-life threatening situation (post diagnosis)?
  • Would companies be able to use the cost in business cases to drive other, less invasive or costly treatments?
  • Would health insurance companies reimburse for the cure? In lieu of that, would they start reimbursing gluten free food?
  • What happens to the Celiac community and the support groups? Do we switch the mission from awareness?
  • Do oncologists start coming to support group meetings to drum up business?
Brave new world out there.

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