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.
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09:48Okay, let's go.
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