Disease Information from NORD, National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc.

"In the United States, there are between 6,000 and 7,000 diseases considered rare, according to the National Institutes of Health. To be classified as "rare", a disease must be believed to affect fewer than 200,000 Americans. This is the definition used by the Food and Drug Administration and by the National Institutes of Health. Since many of these diseases are genetic, many of the patients are children. It is believed that more than two thirds of the individuals affected by rare diseases in the U.S. are children.

Furthermore, most rare diseases are serious and chronic or lifelong. Many are life threatening....."cont'd