Rare diseases

Overview

Rare diseases represent a very miscellaneous group of diseases, which is characterized by low occurrence in the population. There are five to seven rare kinds of diseases estimated. In the European Union countries such disease is considered rare which affects less than one person per 2000 population. At the present time rare diseases affect 30 million people in the European Union and about 20 thousand in the Czech Republic. In the area of rare diseases there is persisting shortage of medical and scientific knowledge. In order to solve the problem specialists prepared a National strategy for rare disease for the 2010–2020 years, which is the basis of the National Action Plan for rare diseases for the 2012–2014 years, which has been authorized by the Czech Republic Government in summer of the year 2012. Keywords: rare diseases – National strategy for rare diseases – National Action Plan for rare diseases