Rare diseases, which are frequently referred to as orphan diseases, are diseases which affect a small percentage of the population. Generally speaking, rare diseases are genetic and are therefore usually chronic and present for the patient’s entire life.
Recommended Resources
About.com’s section which is devoted entirely to rare diseases contains a listing of such diseases listed alphabetically, along with information about each of them, one about rare diseases which affect children, and orphan diseases in the news.
http://rarediseases.about.com/
Colormax - Corrective Contact Lenses
Company offers specialized color blindness treatment including color corrective lenses developed through the ColorCorrection System.
http://www.colormax.org/corrective-lenses.htm
Health On the Net Foundation: Rare Diseases
Consists of a database which is dedicated to propagating information about rare diseases and drugs which treat them. The site is available in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, ad Portuguese.
http://www.hon.ch/HONselect/RareDiseases/
National Human Genome Research: Genetic and Rare Diseases
This site, which is maintained by the United States government as part of the National Institutes of Health, sets forth information about rare diseases, the genetic causes of them, and information for health professionals as well as the public.
http://www.genome.gov/10000409
National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc.
Dedicated to helping people with rare, orphan diseases. Contains information on the prevention, treatment and cure of rare diseases.
http://www.rarediseases.org/
A medical organization dedicated to coordinate research on the problem of rare diseases, clinical trials and grant information for researchers.
http://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/
