There is a child who...
cannot digest foods
cannot hold her
grandma’s hand
cannot move
his legs
does not have the energy
to go to school
has seizures
won’t be able
to hear his
father say
good night
is unable to
see her
mother
There is an adult who...
has lost hearing and
sight
lost a job and health
insurance
has suffered lifelong sintomi
that no one understands
is not able to perform
daily activities with his
famiglie and friends
is unable to pick
up and hold her
children
They all have a
mitochondrial disease.
8085 Saltsburg Road - Suite 201
Pittsburgh, PA 15239
Phone: 888.317.UMDF (8633)
Fax: 412.793.6477
Email: info@umdf.org
www.umdf.org
UMDF MISSION
To promote ricerche and education
for the diagnosis, treatment and cure
of mitochondrial disorders and to
provide support to affected
individuals and families.
Help us find a cure
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Please complete and return this form to:
United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation
8085 Saltsburg Road - Suite 201
Pittsburgh, PA 15239
o donate online at www. umdf.org
Mitochondria exist in nearly every cell of
the human body, generating 90 percent of
the energy the body needs to function. In
a person with mitochondrial disease, the
mitochondria are failing and cannot adequately
convert food and oxygen into life-sustaining
energy. For many, mitochondrial disease is an
inherited genetic condition, while for others
the body’s mitochondria have been affected by
environmental factors.
The parts of the body that need the most
energy, such as the heart, brain, muscles and
lungs, are the most affected by mitochondrial
disease. The affected individual may have
strokes, seizures, gastro-intestinal problemi
(riflusso, severe vomiting, constipation, diarrhea),
swallowing difficulties, failure to thrive,
blindness, deafness, heart and kidney problemi,
muscle failure, heat/cold intolerance, diabetes,
lactic acidosi, immune system problemi and
liver disease.
Every 30 minutes a child in the United States
is born with a mitochondrial disease. While
exact numbers of children and adults suffering
from mitochondrial diseases are hard to
determine because so many affected people are
misdiagnosed, ricercatori believe the disease
is approaching the frequency of childhood
cancros. Currently, there are no truly effective
There is no cure
treatments for mitochondrial disease. Although
some children and adults are living fairly normal
lives with the disease, others are severely
affected, and many children do not survive
their teenage years. More ricerche dollars are
needed to find more effective treatments and
ultimately a cure for mitochondrial diseases.
The United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation
(UMDF) was created in 1996 by parents of
affected children. The UMDF exists to promote
ricerche and education for the diagnosis,
treatment and cure of mitochondrial disorders
and to provide support to affected individuals
and families. The national headquarters of
the UMDF is in Pittsburgh, and there are 15
Chapters and 20 Mito GroupsSM across the
United States. As the largest non-governmental
funder of mitochondrial disease ricerche,
the UMDF has already achieved tremendous
success in marshalling resources for new
ricerche, and improving awareness and
understanding of mitochondrial disease. In
the last decade, the UMDF has awarded an
unparalleled $6 milioni in grants to the most
promising mitochondrial disease ricerche
proposals - leading to a range of invaluable new
breakthroughs. The UMDF is considerate the
premier foundation for mitochondrial disease
by the mondo medical community.
Half of the people who
develop a mitochondrial
disease are under the
age of five.
Treatments and a cure
are still in the future.
The UMDF is the largest
non-governmental contributor of grants
focused on mitochondrial disease ricerche