UH Clinic— Usapang Autoimmune Disease | Unang Hirit - video Dailymotion

GMA Public Affairs

Madalas nating naririnig ngayon ang sakit na autoimmune disease—pero ano nga ba ang sakit na ito at paano ito nakukuha? ‘Yan ang ating ikokonsulta natin sa UH Clinic!   Hosted by the country’s top anchors and hosts, 'Unang Hirit' is a weekday morning show that provides its viewers with a daily dose of news and practical feature stories. Watch it from Monday to Friday, 5:30 AM on GMA Network! Subscribe to youtube.com/gmapublicaffairs for our full episodes.

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00:00There's a health update from the Queen of All Media, Chris Aquino, in his latest Instagram post.

00:09Chris shared that his autoimmune diseases are now cured.

00:14Mixed connective tissue disease has been added to his illness.

00:18He has been suffering from other illnesses for more than two weeks now.

00:22Chris is asking for prayers while he continues his treatment.

00:26Chris said that he's not winning right now, but he can't give up and continue the fight.

00:31What is this autoimmune disease?

00:34That's what we're going to consult here at UH Clinic.

00:38One of the autoimmune diseases that Chris has is called scleroderma.

00:43That's also the illness of 29-year-old content creator, Colleen Velasco.

00:49And this morning, we're live with her. Good morning, Colleen.

00:53Hello, good morning.

00:54Good morning.

00:55Colleen, can you tell us about your condition?

00:58So, simply put, scleroderma is the hardening and the tightening of your skin and the internal organs.

01:07And typically, what affects this is the skin, heart, lungs, and digestive system.

01:14So, it's also inside.

01:16When were you diagnosed with scleroderma?

01:19Did it just come out of nowhere?

01:20What was your first feeling?

01:22I was diagnosed when I was 12 years old.

01:25I'm 29 years old now.

01:27That's 10 years ago.

01:28Yes, something like that.

01:30At first, I lived a relatively normal life.

01:34But when the pandemic came, I had severe depression.

01:38That's when I became physically disabled.

01:41From the depression, you don't feel anything physical related to the scleroderma?

01:47Scleroderma is triggered by stress.

01:51So, if your mental health is not okay, you're also affected physically.

01:55The manifestation is faster.

01:58What has changed in your body because of this disease that you've observed?

02:02The most prominent thing is, number one, my hands.

02:07Before, until maybe 2022, my hands were straight.

02:12I was able to function properly.

02:15And my legs, I wasn't able to walk as much.

02:20In 2022, during the pandemic time, I was able to walk.

02:24So, to understand more about autoimmune disease,

02:28we have Dr. Aileen Agbanlog Dimatulak, a rheumatologist.

02:32Good morning to you, Doc.

02:34Good morning, Doc.

02:35Hi, Doc.

02:36Good morning, Susie and Egan.

02:37We've been watching a lot of news online about autoimmune disease.

02:42But what is autoimmune disease?

02:44What part of our body is affected?

02:48When we say autoimmune disease,

02:50these are the conditions where our immune system is not functioning properly.

02:56So, instead, it is fighting against bacteria, viruses,

03:00it is fighting against our normal healthy cells, tissues, and organs.

03:04It has become contra-vital.

03:05It has become contra-vital.

03:06It's confused with what it should do.

03:07It's confused.

03:08It can no longer recognize self versus non-self.

03:11Okay.

03:12So, most of its cause is genetics.

03:15For a patient, it's not just that they have scleroderma or lupus,

03:19unless they have a genetic predisposition.

03:21So, it's not just genetics.

03:23There also needs to be an environmental trigger.

03:25So, usually, what are the environmental triggers?

03:30So, one common is smoking or environmental factors like exposure to certain chemicals

03:37like silica dust, organic solvents for scleroderma,

03:40or some chemotherapeutic agents.

03:43Like what Nicoleen said, stress, yes.

03:45It can also trigger autoimmune disease or sometimes depression.

03:49And, of course, when our life is not balanced,

03:54like when we don't eat properly,

03:56this can also be one of the factors that triggers autoimmune disease.

04:00How does your immune system get stronger so that it doesn't become contra-vital?

04:04Actually, it is very strong.

04:06Because it is fighting against all normal cells.

04:10So, it can affect all parts of our body.

04:12If there are mental health issues, if ever,

04:16does it need to be accompanied by a therapist?

04:20Yes, yes.

04:21Because the approach to a patient with autoimmune disease needs to be holistic.

04:25We're not just dealing with medications.

04:28So, their mental well-being needs to be fine.

04:31Their lifestyle needs to be healthy.

04:34The food they eat needs to be healthy.

04:36The weight needs to be right.

04:38So, those factors.

04:39Are there different types?

04:40Because Nicoleen and Chris Sakino have the same type.

04:44Chris said that he has the same type.

04:46There are many types.

04:47Yes, because Nicoleen is purely scleroderma.

04:52Others have what we call overlap syndrome.

04:56When we say overlap,

04:57a patient has two or more autoimmune diseases

05:01that they really fulfill the manifestations of those diseases

05:05and the criteria of autoimmune diseases.

05:08So, there are many.

05:09Is it curable, doc?

05:10No, because it's not really curable.

05:12But, it's controlled.

05:14It's controlled by the doctors.

05:15It's delayed.

05:16Yes, it's controlled.

05:17It's put into remission.

05:19Just like Nicoleen now.

05:20She looks like she's on remission with medication.

05:24Nicoleen, when she was a kid,

05:26she had a regular, normal life.

05:28So, at any age,

05:30can you suddenly get an autoimmune disease?

05:34Yes.

05:35The most common age group would be the reproductive age group.

05:38So, 20s and above.

05:3920s to early 50s, maybe.

05:41But, there are kids, just like Nicoleen,

05:44or even toddlers with arthritis, autoimmune, or even lupus.

05:48Nicoleen, do you have a question for the doc?

05:50Doc, maybe in the last five years,

05:53what progress with scleroderma awareness did you notice?

05:59Yes, good question, Nicoleen.

06:01Before, it was very rare.

06:03No one knew about it.

06:04People didn't know where to consult.

06:07They thought, what kind of disease is that?

06:09They didn't know.

06:10Now, because of our association, our society,

06:13the Philippine Rheumatology Association,

06:15we have advocacy in terms of early detection,

06:20spreading awareness of autoimmune diseases.

06:24We also have patient support groups

06:26in which Nicoleen is very active.

06:28She shares her stories.

06:31Even with social media,

06:33our awareness has increased.

06:35The big thing here now is early detection.

06:39With early detection, we can reduce complications later on.

06:43Did you notice lupus?

06:45It's autoimmune.

06:46Yes.

06:47Because lupus is common, right?

06:48Yes, we hear about it.

06:49Lupus is more common compared to scleroderma.

06:52But, lupus is a prototype autoimmune disease.

06:57The immune system is also dysregulated.

07:00It can affect your skin, your joints, heart, lungs,

07:04and all of the organ systems.

07:06But, of course, how can those two be distinguished?

07:09Through the autoantibody test that we do.

07:12Okay.

07:13We also saw online that she was food poisoned.

07:17Because of that, her autoimmune disease was triggered.

07:20Is this possible?

07:22Yes.

07:23When we say food poisoned,

07:26it usually has bacteria.

07:28So, when we eat food that has bacteria,

07:30for example, it's not cooked,

07:32like salmonella, shigella, or ampullobacter,

07:35those bacteria can trigger what we call reactive arthritis,

07:40which is also an autoimmune disease.

07:42In rare cases, it can also cause GBS,

07:45if you've heard of it,

07:46or Guillain-Barre syndrome,

07:47where people are paralyzed because of that infection.

07:51So, we also need to be careful with what we eat.

07:54I don't know what to do.

07:55What I'm watching right now is just sugar and my BP.

07:58You need to watch all of that.

08:00But also, mostly, the stress levels of a person.

08:04Because of the speed of life now,

08:07there's a lot of work to be done.

08:08Correct.

08:09Was there an autoimmune disease before?

08:10Why do I only hear about it now?

08:12Or is it only now that there's awareness?

08:13Correct.

08:14It's been a long time.

08:15Yes.

08:16Now, the awareness has increased.

08:19There are now doctors who can manage it.

08:22Also, with what Colleen is doing,

08:24because of what you're doing in SockMed,

08:26when did you start that?

08:28Maybe two years ago.

08:31And how was the reception of people to you?

08:33Actually, it just started as a gratitude journal online.

08:37Because I mentioned that I was severely depressed.

08:40So, my Instagram was like,

08:42Hey, my food is delicious today.

08:44I took a picture of it.

08:45It's beautiful.

08:46Or I watched a movie.

08:48And then, of course, it was like a diary.

08:51And then, people started following it.

08:53Especially, the people who are sick.

08:55Yes.

08:56There are people like you.

08:57Yes.

08:58Not necessarily scleroderma,

08:59but chronic illness, autoimmune disease.

09:02And then, it's beautiful.

09:03You inspired them.

09:04Correct. It's beautiful.

09:05It's like give and take.

09:07I was inspired by them.

09:08I was inspired.

09:10It's like a community building for me.

09:12It helps me that even if life is hard, I'm still happy.

09:15Yes. I love that.

09:17Okay. Thank you very much, Colleen.

09:19Thank you very much to Dr. Aileen Agbanlog Dimatulak.

09:23And we'll continue to talk about the treatment here at UH Clinic.

09:27Take care.

09:28Take care.

09:30Wait!

09:31Wait, wait, wait.

09:32Wait.

09:33Don't close it yet.

09:35Subscribe to the GMA Public Affairs YouTube channel

09:39so you'll always be the first to know the latest stories and news.

09:42Also, follow the official social media pages of Unang Hirit.

09:48Okay, let's go.

UH Clinic— Usapang Autoimmune Disease | Unang Hirit

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