Newswise — Eastpointe, MI – November 7, 2012: To further increase the general public’s knowledge about autoimmune disease, the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) is partnering with WebMD, the leading source of health information, to provide answers to the tens of millions of consumers who turn to WebMD with their health and wellness questions, through the newly launched WebMD Answers.
Users can visit www.webmd.com/answers to pose health questions that can be asked and answered within WebMD’s trusted environment. WebMD Answers’ Q&A’s are contextually integrated throughout the WebMD experience as well as through WebMD Search, so that consumers can now access information from leading health experts, organizations including AARDA, and other consumers when they need it.
Virginia T. Ladd, President and Executive Director of the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA), believes that WebMD Answers will aid in the awareness of the 100+ autoimmune diseases. With autoimmune disease on the upswing, the general public should be aware of the variety of diseases that could attack them or their loved ones, she says.
“This is an excellent venture for both AARDA and WebMD. More than 50 million Americans have an autoimmune disease and these people are searching for information and answers from qualified personnel to their inquiries. We are pleased that AARDA is able to provide accurate and up-to-date resources,” says Ladd. She goes on to label the current state of autoimmune disease an epidemic that should be of great concern to the government and health professionals.
About AARDA AARDA is the only national nonprofit health agency dedicated to bringing a national focus to autoimmunity, the major cause of serious chronic diseases. Approximately 50 million Americans, 20 percent of the population or one in five people, suffer from autoimmune diseases. Women are more likely than men to be affected; some estimates say that 75 percent of those affected--some 30 million people--are women. Still, with these statistics, autoimmunity is rarely discussed as a women's health issue. www.aarda.org ###
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