Spreading Awareness for Histiocytosis

 In today's blog, we will dedicate ourselves to educating the public, raising awareness, and supporting those affected by this disease.  

Histiocytic disorder is a disease that causes an overproduction of white blood cells, known as histiocytes. The histiocytes will gather themselves in many distinct parts of the body along with other cells which may cause organ damage and tumor formation. There are three categories that are made up into one disorder. These disorders can affect anyone, including children and adults.  

According to the Histiocytosis Association, Histio' = Tissue | 'Cyte' = Cell | 'Osis' = Too many 

 The three Histiocytic Disorders explained are what makes up this disease, there is not one type for Histiocytic but there are several diseases under the one main category.  

1. Dendritic Cell Disorders:  

   1.  Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH) is caused by gene changes that happen after birth and only present in certain cells. These cells are normally found in skin, bone marrow, lungs, liver, and lymph gland.  

   2. Juvenile Xanthogranuloma. This disorder is the most common in children at the age of two years but can rarely occur in adults. This disorder occurred in tumor cells not by given by DNA. It occurs most often on the skin of the head, the neck, trunk, arms, legs, and feet.  

   3. Erdheim-Chester Disease. is a type of blood disease and can be recognized as blood cancer.  This disease primarily affects adults both genders men and women normally around the age of fifty.  

2. Macrophage Cell Disorders: 

   1. Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, it is an inflammatory disease that can affect anyone. It is triggered by a virus that will then make the patient extremely ill. This disorder can be passed through genetics or if there is a family history of the disorder.  

   2. Rosai-Dorfman Disease, this is most commonly to affect the skin and lymph nodes. This disease does affect anyone of any age.

3. Malignant Cell Disorders: This group of cells can include variations of leukemia and tumors. 

Histiocytosis Awareness is not just a time for reflection but a call to action. By spreading awareness, and building community, we can make a significant difference in the lives of those affected by these rare diseases. Let’s come together to educate, advocate, and support one another. Stay tuned for part two of our blog series on Histiocytosis Awareness.  

Source:  

Histiocytosis Association. “Understanding Histio.” Histiocytosis Association a Rare Community, Histiocytosis Association, https://histio.org/histiocytic-disorders/.