Robert (43) regularly goes to the clinic for check-ups due to his rheumatic disease. His doctor asked him if he would donate some blood for research. He didn't have to think long and agreed. His blood is now in a biobank and helps scientists to develop new and better treatments for patients.
Robert loves sport and enjoys running in his free time. But a few years ago, the active young man began to feel pain in his joints more and more frequently.
The pain was particularly noticeable in the morning. "My joints were stiff and swollen and sometimes it took me a long time to get going in the morning," he recalls. A blood test and several examinations at the rheumatology centre finally clarified the situation: he was suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.
Rheumatism is a variety of inflammatory diseases that mostly affect the joints and musculoskeletal system. Like Robert, around 1.5 million people in Germany suffer from inflammatory rheumatic diseases, including many young people and even children.
"I was lucky," recalls Robert. "The fact that the disease was recognised so early meant that I received the right treatment straight away. I'm doing very well thanks to the medication."
At his last check-up at the rheumatology centre, his doctor asked him if he would donate some blood for research. He didn't have to think long and agreed. "I wanted to give something back out of a sense of personal gratitude. If many people refused to take part, how would it ever be possible to do anything about diseases?" he says, explaining his decision.
"It's important to me that my data is safe and doesn't fall into the wrong hands. But I trust the biobank and my clinic."