Microbiologists 2018

Rare Medicine and Orphan Drugs

Rare Disease is technically defined as a disease that is found in fewer than 5 people per every 10,000 people. While we’ve all heard of diseases, seen someone with a disease, and had a disease personally, it’s unlikely that we’ve encountered a rare disease. In the non-medical world, people use and interchange disease to mean infection, sickness, illness, or something similar. In the medical world, a disease is an abnormal condition that impairs bodily functions and is often associated with certain signs and symptoms. Also called an orphan disease, most rare diseases are genetic, and thus are present throughout the person's entire life, even if symptoms do not immediately appear.