Rare Diseases Denim Awareness Ribbon Angel Art Painting
Rare disease uses a denim ribbon or zebra stripes ribbon for its cause awareness. The jean denim ribbon is a reference that rare disease is often in the "genes". The zebra stripe is a reference to the medical expression, "when you hear hoof beats think horses not zebras" in looking for a common diagnosis versus the rare disease. There are Rare Disease Awareness Ribbon Gifts available online. Buy the denim awareness ribbon art on Zazzle or CafePress. Buy the zebra stripes awareness ribbon art on Zazzle or CafePress. Learn more about Awareness Gallery Ribbon Art.
Zebra Stripes Awareness Ribbon Angel Art Painting
Rare Disease Day was
established to raise awareness with the public about rare diseases, the
challenges encountered by those affected, the importance of research to develop
diagnostics and treatments, and the impact of these diseases on patients'
lives. The focus of Rare Disease Day 2010 was 'Patients and Researchers,
Partners for Life!' and is aligned with ORDR's philosophy that researchers need
to work closely with patients and patient advocacy groups to maximize chances
for success. This philosophy has been put into practice in our very successful
Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network.
There are about 7000 rare diseases identified
in the United States. About 80 percent of rare diseases are genetic in origin
and it is estimated that about half of all rare diseases affect children. Rare
diseases can be chronic, progressive, debilitating, disabling, severe and
life-threatening. Information is often scarce and research is usually
insufficient. People affected face challenges such as delays in obtaining a diagnosis,
misdiagnosis, psychological burden and lack of support services for the patient
and family. The goals remain for rare disease patients to obtain the highest
attainable standard of health and to be provided the resources required to
overcome common obstacles in their lives.
Rare Disease Day is celebrated around the world
to raise awareness among decision-makers as well as the general public
regarding rare diseases and their impact on patients’ lives. The NIH
celebrates Rare Disease Day to:
Demonstrate
and reiterate the NIH commitment to rare diseases research to help
patients
Highlight
rare diseases research, and the development of diagnostics and treatments,
being funded and conducted across NIH
Initiate
a mutually beneficial dialogue among public and private researchers,
patients, patient advocates and policy makers
Exchange
the latest rare diseases information with stakeholders to advance research
and therapeutic efforts
Put
a face on rare diseases by sharing stories of patients, their families and
their communities
The first Rare Disease
Day sponsored by EURORDIS was held in Europe on February 29, 2008. February
29th was chosen since it is a rare day and it is symbolic of rare diseases.
2009 was the first time that Rare Disease Day was observed in the U.S. In
addition to 17 European countries participating in Rare Disease Day 2009, the
United States was joined by Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, and
Taiwan in celebrating the first global Rare Disease Day.
Rare diseases use both a zebra print and a blue denim awareness ribbons. The zebra stripes are a reference to the medical saying, "when you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras" in looking for a common diagnosis (horse) for a patient's symptoms versus the rare (zebra) diagnosis. Rare diseases can also be a genetic disease. The blue denim is a reference to jeans vs. genes.
Let these Zebra Awareness Ribbon Angel and Blue Denim Awareness Ribbon Angel help bring awareness to the cause of rare diseases!
Buy this Zebra Awareness Ribbon Angel on the Awareness Gallery Zazzle Gift Store or Cafepress Unique Gifts Store!
Buy this Blue Denim Awareness Ribbon Angel on the Awareness Gallery Zazzle Gift Store or Cafepress Unique Gifts Store!
A rare disease (also called an orphan disease) is a disease or condition affecting fewer than 200,000 persons in the United States. Up to 25 million people in the United States have rare diseases.
How many rare diseases are there?
There
are more than 6,800 rare diseases. Altogether, rare diseases affect an
estimated 25 million to 30 million Americans.
What is a genetic disease?
A genetic disease is caused by a change in a person’s DNA. Some genetic diseases are inherited from parents, and others are caused by new changes that occur during a person’s lifetime. Most genetic diseases are considered rare because they affect fewer than 200,000 people in the United States.
What causes rare diseases?
Rare Disease Zebra Stripe Awareness Ribbon
The
exact cause for many rare diseases remains unknown. Still, for a significant
portion, the problem can be traced to mutations (changes) in a single gene.
Such diseases are referred to as rare, genetic diseases. Many of these genetic
mutations can be passed on from one generation to the next, explaining why
certain rare diseases run in families.
It
is important to keep in mind that genetics are just one piece of the puzzle.
Environmental factors, such as diet, smoking, or exposure to chemicals, also
can play a role in rare diseases. Such factors may directly cause disease, or
interact with genetic factors to cause or increase the severity of disease.
Single
genes are also responsible for some rare, inherited types of cancer. Examples
of these are the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, in
which certain mutations increase the risk for hereditary breast and ovarian
cancers (See: Learning About Breast Cancer), and the FAP gene,
in which mutations increase the risk for hereditary colon cancer (See: Learning
About Colon Cancer).
Rare
diseases related to environmental factors include uncommon types of anemia
caused by vitamin-deficient diets or certain medications. A rare cancer caused
by environmental factors is mesothelioma (See: General Information About Malignant Mesothelioma [cancer.gov]),
which affects the cells lining the chest cavity. More than 90 percent of
mesothelioma cases are caused by exposure to asbestos, a fibrous mineral once
widely used in fireproofing and insulation materials.
Rare Disease is a disease or disorder that affects a small group of people (Zebtra Stripes Awareness Ribbon Angel)
What is being done to develop
treatments for rare diseases?
Researchers
have made considerable progress in recent years in figuring out ways to
diagnose, treat and even prevent a variety of rare diseases. Still, much more
remains to be done because there are no treatments for the vast majority of
rare diseases.
The
Orphan Drug Act of 1983 provides incentives for drug companies to develop
treatments for rare diseases. In the 25 years since the Act was signed into
federal law, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved more than
340 treatments for rare diseases.
Recently,
the National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched a new effort, called the
Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases (TRND) program, to create an
integrated research pipeline to jump start the development of new treatments
for rare and neglected disorders. The NIH Office of Rare Diseases Research
(ORDR) handles oversight and governance of TRND. The laboratory work for TRND
will be performed in a facility administered by the intramural program of the
National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI).
Where can people get more
information about rare diseases?
The
NIH, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
established the Office of Rare Diseases Reearch (ORDR) to help advance research
focused on rare diseases.
To
provide patients and their families with timely and reliable information, ORDR
and NHGRI have created the online Genetic and Rare Diseases (GARD) Information
Center. GARD offers a searchable, frequently updated Web site located at:http://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/GARD.
Users can also contact GARD's information specialists directly by e-mail,
telephone, FAX, TTY or postal mail.
In
addition to GARD, there are many non-profit groups that provide information and
support, promote research and advocate for policy issues related to various
rare diseases. Among the groups that span a broad range of disorders are the
National Organization for Rare Diseases, http://www.rarediseases.org,
and the Genetic Alliance, http://www.geneticalliance.org.
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