Reviewed By:
Kenji Taylor, MD, MSc (Family Medicine, Primary Care)
Dr. Taylor is a Japanese-African American physician who grew up and was educated in the United States but spent a considerable amount of time in Japan as a college student, working professional and now father of three. After graduating from Brown, he worked in finance first before attending medical school at Penn. He then completed a fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control before going on to specialize in Family and Community Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) where he was also a chief resident. After a faculty position at Stanford, he moved with his family to Japan where he continues to see families on a military base outside of Tokyo, teach Japanese residents and serve remotely as a medical director for Roots Community Health Center. He also enjoys editing and writing podcast summaries for Hippo Education.
Kaito Nakamura, MD (Rheumatology)
Dr. Nakamura is a rheumatologist who has practiced in the Ota Nishinouchi Hospital attached to Ota General Hospital, National Health Insurance Matsudo City Hospital, Chiba University Hospital, and the National Health Insurance Asahi Central Hospital.
Content updated on Mar 31, 2024
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Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) is a rare autoimmune disorder where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own tissues. Risk factors include family history of connective tissue disease and exposure to certain viruses or chemicals. It's most common in women in their 20s and 30s, but children may also be affected.
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this disease:
There is no cure for mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD). However, disease progression and symptoms can be controlled with medication to suppress the immune cells and block inflammation.
Alves MR, Isenberg DA. "Mixed connective tissue disease": a condition in search of an identity. Clin Exp Med. 2020 May;20(2):159-166. doi: 10.1007/s10238-020-00606-7. Epub 2020 Mar 4. PMID: 32130548; PMCID: PMC7181542.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10238-020-00606-7Pepmueller PH. Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease, Mixed Connective Tissue Disease, and Overlap Syndromes in Rheumatology. Mo Med. 2016 Mar-Apr;113(2):136-40. PMID: 27311225; PMCID: PMC6139943.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6139943/Ortega-Hernandez OD, Shoenfeld Y. Mixed connective tissue disease: an overview of clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2012 Feb;26(1):61-72. doi: 10.1016/j.berh.2012.01.009. PMID: 22424193.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1521694212000101?via%3DihubPerelas A, Arrossi AV, Highland KB. Pulmonary Manifestations of Systemic Sclerosis and Mixed Connective Tissue Disease. Clin Chest Med. 2019 Sep;40(3):501-518. doi: 10.1016/j.ccm.2019.05.001. Epub 2019 Jul 6. PMID: 31376887.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272523119300292?via%3DihubBerard RA, Laxer RM. Pediatric Mixed Connective Tissue Disease. Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2016 May;18(5):28. doi: 10.1007/s11926-016-0576-x. PMID: 27032791.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11926-016-0576-xMale, 30s
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Male, 20s
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Female, 40s
I was actually very impressed with the results it provided because, although I didn’t mention it during the questionnaire because I thought it was unrelated, it suggested I may have something I’ve actually been diagnosed with in the past.
(Sep 25, 2024)
Reviewed By:
Kenji Taylor, MD, MSc (Family Medicine, Primary Care)
Dr. Taylor is a Japanese-African American physician who grew up and was educated in the United States but spent a considerable amount of time in Japan as a college student, working professional and now father of three. After graduating from Brown, he worked in finance first before attending medical school at Penn. He then completed a fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control before going on to specialize in Family and Community Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) where he was also a chief resident. After a faculty position at Stanford, he moved with his family to Japan where he continues to see families on a military base outside of Tokyo, teach Japanese residents and serve remotely as a medical director for Roots Community Health Center. He also enjoys editing and writing podcast summaries for Hippo Education.
Kaito Nakamura, MD (Rheumatology)
Dr. Nakamura is a rheumatologist who has practiced in the Ota Nishinouchi Hospital attached to Ota General Hospital, National Health Insurance Matsudo City Hospital, Chiba University Hospital, and the National Health Insurance Asahi Central Hospital.
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