Scientific study by the University Hospitals of Cologne and Ulm for people with thalidomide damage
There have been suspicions for years that people with thalidomide damage are more likely to suffer from vascular damage, possibly caused by thalidomide. In general, the blood vessels have a different course than in other people, which can lead to incorrect treatment in an emergency. A “vascular study” at the University Hospitals in Cologne and Ulm is now intended to clarify this and provide scientifically sound findings for the first time. The study, in which around 460 affected people are taking part, was initiated by the Contergan Foundation.
“We have advocated for those affected to research possible anomalies in vessels and other organs as part of a meaningful study,” says Dieter Hackler, CEO of the Contergan Foundation. “The aim is to find out whether any existing vascular malformations or variants can be classified as a disease. Knowing this is important for those affected and the medical profession.”
The “vascular study” financially supported by the foundation has now started successfully. The university hospitals in Cologne and Ulm responsible for the project have the appropriate technical equipment to carry out the study. Since those affected are now over 60 years old and vascular diseases generally increase at this age, there is also a comparison group: It consists of a cohort of people of the same size and age without thalidomide damage.
As a result of taking the sleeping pill and sedative “Contergan”, which was marketed as harmless, thousands of mothers gave birth to children with deformities and deformities a good 60 years ago. Around 2,300 people with thalidomide damage live in Germany today.
The Contergan Foundation
60 years ago, the drug Contergan caused the first pharmaceutical scandal in post-war Germany. Between 1958 and 1963, mothers who took the drug gave birth to children with orthopedic and internal injuries, as well as ear, nose and throat damage and eye damage. Many of them died. Today, around 2,300 people with thalidomide damage recognized by the foundation still live in Germany alone. The foundation was established in December 1971 by a resolution of the German Bundestag. When the foundation was founded, the foundation capital was contributed equally by the pharmaceutical company Grünenthal and the federal government. Since the funds for payments to those affected have been used up, the federal government has made the payments (apart from an annual special payment) 100 percent from its own resources.
Contact
Conterganstiftung
Matthias Moeller
At the joint arch halls 2-6
50679 Köln
0221 3673-3673