On February, 28 is the Rare Disease Day. It was first established 10 years ago on the last day of February to raise awareness about rare diseases. What started as a small European event now turned into a world tradition with 94 countries participating.
1 in 20 people can be diagnosed with such a disease at some point in their life. Despite this, there is no cure for the majority of rare conditions. There are a lot of types of rare diseases: cancers (gliosarcoma, teratoma), tumors (acoustic neurinoma), syndromes (Ackerman syndrome, Shapiro syndrome), infectious diseases (histoplasmosis, mucormycosis), etc.
The most well-known one is Marfan Syndrome. It is a disorder of the connective tissue in the human body caused by genetic factors. Patients affected by Marfan Syndrome are usually tall, thin, with long arms, legs, and fingers.
A lot of famous people suffered from this disorder:
- Sergei Rachmaninov (a composer and pianist),
- Niccolo Paganini (violinists),
- Julius Caesar (a Roman politician and general),
- Abraham Lincoln (the 16th president of the United States of America),
- Hans Christian Andersen (the Danish author of classic stories).
We are joining the effort to raise awareness about rare diseases and made an infographic with main facts and figures regarding this topic.
