• Question: What is the most challenging disease that you have come across in your job?

    Asked by Diti to Lizzie, Francis, Ben, Max on 13 Mar 2018. This question was also asked by Jana, Sashascience7613.
    • Photo: Lizzie Wright

      Lizzie Wright answered on 13 Mar 2018:

      One of the most challenging was a disease called advanced systemic mastocytosis. It is a extremely rare form of adult leukaemia with a very short life expectancy. Due to this, it was very hard to study the disease and to collect patient testimonials. However, this means its also very rewarding as these patients often have limited support and resources and we can really make a difference to them.

    • Photo: Francis Man

      Francis Man answered on 15 Mar 2018:

      I’ve seen some really tough cases of diabetes, with something called “autonomous neuropathy”. Basically the disease damaged the nerves that communicated between the guts and the brain. The patient’s stomach would digest food at random times and it was very difficult to predict and control their blood sugar levels.
      A lot of these patients had to have toes or feet amputated too…

Comments