Free Resources for Mastering Autoimmunity | Mymee

Pilot study findings in lupus demonstrate improvements

Written by Nicole Bundy, MD, MPH | Oct 27, 2020 5:52:54 PM

Mymee Inc., the leading digital health company that empowers those who suffer from autoimmune disease to reclaim their health, today announced the publication of its study assessing the Mymee Program as adjunct care in patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR). The study demonstrated that the Mymee Program resulted in statistically significant, clinically meaningful improvements in Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) when added to usual care in patients with lupus.

 

“People suffering from autoimmunity often spend years trying to figure out why their often debilitating symptoms fluctuate so unpredictably. This study reaffirms Mymee’s position that it is possible to unlock data unique to each patient and improve the lives of those with autoimmune diseases - like lupus - in a way that is measurable and meaningful,” said founder Mette Dyhrberg. The Mymee Program combines an intuitive consumer mobile app, data analytics, and certified health coaches to identify triggers for disease symptoms and modify behavior to improve health.  

 

In the clinical trial, adults with lupus were assigned to either the Mymee Program plus usual care or to a control group who received usual care alone. Primary outcome measures were changes between baseline and 16 weeks on 3 validated health-related quality of life (HRQoL) tools: Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F); Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form (BPI-SF), and Lupus Quality of Life (LupusQoL).

 

In a first for a lupus clinical trial, this study enabled 100% remote trial reporting and care delivery. Participants were able to track and report on their dietary, environmental and lifestyle triggers in real time while receiving individualized remote care. Key findings from the study include:

 

  • The Mymee Program resulted in clinically meaningful and statistically significantly greater improvements compared to the control group in 9 of 11 HRQoL domains. 
  • Fatigue, one of the most debilitating symptoms reported by people with lupus, was among the domains which saw considerable improvement (34% absolute and 85% relative improvement).  Fatigue is highly correlated with work disability, workplace absence and impaired workplace performance.
  • Pain and pain interference, domains which impact many lupus patients and seriously impair their functional capacity and HRQoL, were also among the domains which showed clinically significant improvements (13% absolute, 25% relative and 25% absolute, 40% relative improvements, respectively).
  • Adherence to data tracking in the Mymee App exceeded 90%. 

“The results of this trial have important implications for the treatment of lupus,” said Nicole Bundy, M.D., M.P.H., board certified Rheumatologist and Medical Director at Mymee.“The great variability in lupus from patient to patient is recognized as a significant obstacle to universally effective treatment. With autoimmune disease, understanding precisely what dietary and lifestyle factors trigger each patient leads to meaningful quality of life improvements over-and-above those achievable with traditional treatment alone.” Dr. Bundy added "The magnitude of improvement seen in this trial – especially in fatigue and pain– is particularly notable, as these symptoms often do not respond to even the most advanced medications and cause a great deal of suffering”.

 

If interested in applying for the program, click here.

 

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