Disease or Syndrome
rare diseases
[ rair dih-zeez-ez ]
Subclass of:
Disease Attributes
Definitions related to rare diseases:
  • (rare disorder) A disease that affects fewer than 200,000 people in the United States.
    NCI Thesaurus
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • A large group of diseases which are characterized by a low prevalence in the population. They frequently are associated with problems in diagnosis and treatment.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
  • A rare disease is one that affects fewer than 200,000 people in the United States. There are nearly 7,000 rare diseases. More than 25 million Americans have one. Rare diseases May involve chronic illness, disability, and often premature death; Often have no treatment or not very effective treatment; Are frequently not diagnosed correctly; Are often very complex; Are often caused by changes in genes. It can be hard to find a specialist who knows how to treat your rare disease. Disease advocacy groups, rare disease organizations, and genetics clinics may help you to find one. NIH: National Institutes of Health
    MedlinePlus
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
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This content should not be used in place of medically-reviewed decision support reference material or professional medical advice. Some terms may have alternate or updated definitions not reflected in this set. The definitions on this page should not be considered complete or up to date.