PatientsLikeMe.com, a treatment and outcome sharing community for people with life-changing conditions, has released real-world treatment and symptom dataset on ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) and Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Previously, similar real-world information would have had to be mined and aggregated from proprietary sources such as hospital systems or insurance companies. Now, anyone can go to PatientsLikeMe.com and search for a particular treatment or symptom to find out the experience of over 2,300 patients. This database includes medication dosage ranges, lengths of time on a treatment, reasons for discontinuation, symptom severity, and other key experience measures on over 1,300 treatments and 300 symptoms.

"We're very proud to share this aggregated information with the world. Our community members believe everyone should benefit from shared experiences with prescription medications, nutritional supplements, and medical equipment," explains PatientsLikeMe co-founder and CEO, Benjamin Heywood. "As our community grows, so does the power of the data."

Behind the data are real people who actively share their treatment and symptom experience with other PatientsLikeMe community members. Although the default is for members to share their information only with other community members, many have chosen to release their individual profiles for general public viewing to help other patients know that they aren't alone in their fight against ALS or MS. Users can search and view these profiles by clicking on the "Patient" tab on the PatientsLikeMe homepage.

"What makes our data unique is that every data point is backed by clinical or functional outcome data from real patients. Everyone can compare and evaluate progress, thus understanding the context of treatment utilization," adds Paul Wicks, Ph.D., neuropsychologist at King's College in London, UK and Resident Researcher at PatientsLikeMe. "This accountability creates a much more credible set of information."

Releasing this data can also help neurologists and other physicians learn how colleagues are prescribing a particular medication. Doctors can see the distribution of dosage ranges as well as side effect frequencies on numerous medications. It's a way to keep abreast of the latest prescribing trends.

PatientsLikeMe plans to continue this information sharing with its upcoming communities focused on HIV, Depression, Bipolar, and Anxiety.

For more information or to view the database, visit www.PatientsLikeMe.com