Where patients find help
NIK stands for Netzwerk Autoimmunerkrankter (Network for Autoimmune Diseases) – a patient initiative founded in Hamburg, Germany, with the goal of providing holistic support to patients and their families.
Tanja Renner started the network in 2016. Her personal experience with psoriatic arthritis motivated her to take action on behalf of other patients. NIK provides information and support for people with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatic diseases, multiple sclerosis and chronic inflammatory skin and bowel diseases.
Patients can turn to NIK with their questions and receive an orientation about specialists in their region: doctors, hospitals, self-help, coaches etc. In addition, NIK also offers advice and information on everyday topics such as nutrition and sports.
NIK's stories of encouragement (“Mut-mach-Geschichten”) show how patients cope with their illnesses after serious diagnoses and the ways in which they have found a new quality of life.
NIK offers support for people who are affected by autoimmune diseases. In an autoimmune disease, the immune system turns against the body's own structures and fights them like pathogens. These diseases are usually not curable and persist for a lifetime.
