Maria, from Gozo, Malta
I am 23 years old and was diagnosed with Degos Disease in August of 2005. I noticed strange spots on my arms in 2002 and went to see the dermatologist who diagnosed me with psoriasis. Within three years the spots (i.e. lesions) flared up all over my body. I went back to the dermatologist and was correctly diagnosed after the doctor took biopsies of my skin.
The diagnosis took me by surprise to say the least. I was very grateful to my dermatologist who diagnosed me because his thorough research found this web site. He e-mailed Dr. Theodoridis, who is involved in the study of Degos Disease. Dr. Theodoridis advised my dermatologist to connect me with specialist who could run the correct tests to determine if lesions were in my colon or affecting other organs in my body. I underwent a CAT-Scan, stomach endoscopy, lung x-ray and an MRI. All tests came back negative except the latter. My MRI showed a small abnormality, which could be an infarction caused by the disease. Just recently, I had another MRI done and it showed no change.
I take adult aspirin every day and it seems to slow down the appearance of my skin lesions. I also have participated in the study in Germany and I am currently getting my family involved. One of the hardships of this disease is the limited information available. That’s why it is important for us patients to participate in the study and also to share with each other our stories. This website has been a huge consolation for me and I thank all of you who have written their stories. I especially thank Judith for all her hard work and for keeping us patients together.
I pray for all of you… Maria