Rare diseases : although limited, available evidence suggests medical and other costs can be substantial : report to congressional committees.

Format:

Book

Government document

Author/Creator:

United States. Government Accountability Office, author, issuing body.

Dicken, John E., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Rare diseases--Diagnosis--United States.

Rare diseases.

Rare diseases--United States--Costs.

Rare diseases--Treatment--United States.

Rare diseases--Treatment--United States--Costs.

Diagnostic errors--Risk assessment--United States.

Diagnostic errors.

Diagnostic errors--United States--Costs.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (ii, 103 pages) : b (color illustrations)

Place of Publication:

[Washington, D.C.] : United States Government Accountability Office, 2021.

Summary:

By definition, few people have any specific rare disease. But there are many different rare diseases--about 7,000--and as a result, an estimated 30 million people in the United States have one or more of them. About half of those with a rare disease are children. Often genetic, many rare diseases are chronic, progressive (they worsen over time), and life-threatening. Relatively little is known about the costs of rare diseases, either individually or collectively. GAO examined, among other things, the challenges to diagnosing rare diseases and what is known about their costs.

Contents:

Background.

Multiple factors make diagnosing rare diseases challenging challenges to identifying the costs of rare diseases.

Although limited, available research suggests to costs of rare diseases can be substantial.

Effects of undiagnosed, misdiagnosed, and untreated rare diseases.

Agency comments.

Appendices.

Notes:

"October 2021"--Cover.

John E. Dicken, Director, Health Care"--Page 42.

Includes bibliographical references.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF cover page (GAO, viewed October 19, 2021).

OCLC:

1277198926