Joseph Coates thought he was living his final days. At just 37 years old, the Renton, Washington, resident was battling POEMS syndrome, a rare blood disorder that left him barely conscious and gravely ill, The New York Times reported. Doctors told him he had one final decision to make: Did he want to die at home or in the hospital?
POEMS syndrome damages your nerves and affects other parts of your body. POEMS stands for: Polyneuropathy, which is numbness, tingling ,and weakness in your legs; organomegaly, which is an enlarged spleen, liver, or lymph nodes; endocrinopathy/edema, in which abnormal hormone levels that can result in an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), diabetes, sexual problems, fatigue, swelling in your limbs, and problems with metabolism and other essential functions; monoclonal-protein, abnormal bone marrow cells (plasma cells) that produce a protein (monoclonal protein) that can be found in the bloodstream; and skin changes, you will see more color than normal on your skin, red spots, possibly thicker skin, and increased facial or leg hair.
The cause of POEMS syndrome isn’t known. But people with POEMS syndrome have an increased number of plasma cells. These cells produce an abnormal amount of a type of protein, which can damage other parts of the body.
POEMS syndrome can be misdiagnosed because the signs and symptoms mimic those of other disorders, according to the Mayo Clinic. POEMS syndrome progresses rapidly without treatment and can become life-threatening.
But his girlfriend, Tara Theobald, wasn’t ready to give up. She reached out to Dr. David Fajgenbaum in Philadelphia, whom they had met at a rare disease summit. Dr. Fajgenbaum responded quickly with a treatment plan—a combination of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and steroids. Interestingly, the plan wasn’t crafted by the doctor but by an artificial intelligence (AI) model.
Within a week, Coates showed signs of recovery. In just four months, he was healthy enough to receive a life-saving stem cell transplant. Today, he’s in remission, thanks to the AI-driven regimen that saved his life.
Artificial intelligence is transforming healthcare, particularly in cardiovascular medicine. Researchers funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute are developing AI tools to predict and diagnose heart disease, the world’s leading cause of death.
Some in medicine say AI can detect diseases earlier and help devise personalized treatment plans, potentially preventing heart attacks and other serious conditions. With the power to analyze vast datasets, AI can detect subtle patterns that might be missed by even the most experienced doctors.
Despite its promise, the use of AI in healthcare raises ethical concerns. Experts point out that AI models must be trained on diverse, representative datasets to ensure accuracy across different populations. There is also the challenge of integrating AI findings with human medical expertise.
