Newswise — DETROIT, March 14, 2013 - As part of its National Autoimmune Disease Awareness Month activities, American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association has launched its 2013 “Autoimmune Walk: Linking Together for a Cure” Campaign calendar with more than double the number of events taking place this year from New York to California.

“Building on the success of last year’s inaugural walks, AARDA is once again calling on the 50 million Americans who suffer from autoimmune disease and their friends and family members to get involved and help raise funds to raise awareness and find a cure,” said Virginia Ladd, Executive Director, AARDA. “There are many ways to get involved from spreading the word to captaining a team to asking your company to match funds your team raises.”

The Autoimmune Walks are being conducted “virtually” and locally in U.S. cities from coast to coast. A virtual walk can be done by anyone, anywhere in the world, at any time that is convenient. To date, five walks are scheduled for Metro Washington, D.C. (June 22), Marietta, GA (July 20), New York Tristate (August 25), Louisville, KY (September 21) and Grand Rapids, MI (October 12).

In addition, AARDA will be announcing in the next few weeks dates for walks in Florida, California, North Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin. For the latest information or to sign up for a walk, visit www.AutoimmuneWalk.org.

Autoimmune disease (AD) disproportionately affects women. Of the 50 million Americans living and coping with ADs, more than 75 percent – some 30 million – are women. AD is one of the top 10 leading causes of death of women under the age of 65. It encompasses more than 100 diseases, including type-1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune hepatitis, Sjogren’s, Crohn’s disease and lupus. It is responsible for more than $100 billion in direct health care costs annually.

American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) is the nation's only non-profit organization dedicated to bringing a national focus to autoimmunity as a category of disease and a major women's health issue and promoting a collaborative research effort in order to find better treatments and a cure for all autoimmune diseases. For more information, please visit www.aarda.org.

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