Local woman on forefront of fight against Crohn's disease
By NoneBonnie Peters
By Mike Costanza, correspondent
Spencerport-
Tue Apr 08, 2008, 11:11 AM EDT
Bonnie Peters sounded upbeat over the phone.
"Yesterday, I helped clean and paint in the morning," said the
Spencerport grandmother. "I'm trying to get my strength back."
Cleaning and painting might not appear to take much energy, but for
someone suffering from severe Crohn's disease, the tasks can be
daunting. On March 3, the cheerful 66-year-old became the first
subject in the Rochester area to be given Prochymal, a new drug that
could change the way doctors treat the chronic disease.
As many as 450 patients suffering from moderate to severe Crohn's
disease will participate in the study in New York and Canada.
Rochester General Hospital is one of five hospitals in the state that
are participating in the study.
An estimated 500,000 Americans suffer from Crohn's disease, an
illness that attacks the digestive track, inflaming any of the
tissues from the mouth down to the anus. The swollen tissues can
block the tract and cause sores, ulcers and life-threatening
infections. Crohn's sufferers usually experience abdominal pain and
diarrhea, and may also experience muscle or tendon inflammation,
weight loss, rectal bleeding, skin problems, fevers and other
symptoms as a result of the disease — or their inability to properly
digest foods.
"A lot of our patients have bone problems — arthritis, decay of bone
structure itself, vision problems," said Tia Derosa, director of
Rochester General's Office for Clinical Research.
Surgery, steroids, immunosuppressants, biologic medications and
nutritional supplements can be used to fight the disease or its
symptoms, though patients frequently relapse. Through the years since
she was diagnosed in 1975, Peters has endured waves of abdominal,
joint and muscle pain, diarrhea, fevers as high as 104 degrees,
bleeding and exhaustion, followed by periods of relief as one or
another medication or surgery took effect.
Despite Crohn's onslaught, Peters worked hard to keep the life she
desired with her husband, Ray, and their four children.
"I've never let it stop me," she said.
The Peters family continued vacationing and traveling, though the
disease limited when they could do so. She continued to care for her
family as much as possible. Peters said she continued working at the
Ogden Telephone Company until retiring in 1998, sometimes suffering
as many as 16 bouts of diarrhea on the job.
"By 2 o'clock in the afternoon, I'd be so exhausted or in pain I'd
feel like crawling under my desk," she said.
By November, Crohn's had worn her down. "I'd just spend the time in
my lounge chair," Peters said.
Prochymal was developed from stem cells drawn from the bone marrow of
a healthy adult volunteer, according to Derosa.
"These cells are purified and grown outside the body using
biotechnology,
Each patient in the study will receive either low or high doses of
the drug or of a placebo over two to three weeks. Neither the
researchers nor the patients will know which has been given.
Researchers hope the new drug will cut the severity of Crohn's
attacks and the need for other drugs or surgery and increase the time
between relapses.
Derosa said Rochester General hopes to enroll as many as 15 patients
for its part of the Prochymal study. The results of the research
program won't be available for at least two years.
Peters said she started feeling better soon after she began
treatment, though she admits she doesn't know whether she was given
Prochymal or the placebo. Now that her treatment is over, her abdomen
is less tender and she suffers fewer diarrhea episodes. Though she
still suffers from high fevers every few days, she said she's
generally free of the muscle and tendon pain that once coursed
throughout her body and that some of her strength has returned.
"Discounting any back pain and shoulder pain, I'm feeling good,"
Peters said.
She's even planning to look for work.
"I was hoping to get a job like with one of the companies that
transports people to doctors."
For his part, Ray is glad to see his wife on her feet again.
"Since a couple weeks ago, she's back to more normal," he said. "She
wants to go shopping; she wants to go alone."
Still, over the 33-year history of his wife's illness, he's seen
medications come-and-go.
"It's only been a month," he said.
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StemCells subscribers may also be interested in these sites:
Children's Neurobiological Solutions
http://www.CNSfoundation.org/
Cord Blood Registry
http://www.CordBlood.com/at.cgi?a=150123
The CNS Healing Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CNS_Healing
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