Rare diseases

Diseases are considered rare within the EU if they affect less than five in 10,000 people. There are currently more than 6,000 rare diseases estimated worldwide, and nearly 4 million people are affected in Germany alone. While rare diseases are a diverse group of diseases, they do have some things in common. Typically they first appear during childhood and the mechanisms leading to clinical manifestation are not well understood. Often there are only limited treatment options available, so people with rare diseases usually seek treatment at specialized centers with many years of experience dealing with a particular disease.