Overlapping Conditions Alliance

Six independent, non-profit organizations have joined together to form the Overlapping Conditions Alliance.  The new Alliance will promote research into the underlying connections between coexisting conditions.  Studies have shown that people who have ME/CFS, endometriosis, Interstitial Cystitis, irritable bowel syndrome, temporomandibular joint and muscle disorders (TMJ) and vulvodynia will often have more than one of these chronic disorders.

Because the healthcare community usually receives limited training on these illnesses, millions of people are misdiagnosed and improperly treated every year.  All of these conditions cause enormous physical and emotional distress for sufferers and their families. In addition, they cost the US billions of dollars each year in medical costs and lost productivity. 

The mission of the OCA is to advance the scientific, medical and policy needs of individuals affected by medical conditions that frequently overlap.  The six non-profit organizations that make up the OCA include the:

• Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome Association of America
• Interstitial Cystitis Association
• Endometriosis Association
• International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders
• TMJ Association
• National Vulvodynia Association