People with rare diseases face years of misdiagnosis

More than one in 10 people with rare diseases waited more than a decade for a correct diagnosis, the report found.

Nearly half of people with rare diseases are initially misdiagnosed, a survey released today has found.

The report by the charity Rare Disease UK found that almost 20% lived with their conditions for more than five years before getting an accurate diagnosis.

More than 10% had to wait more than a decade. Only 26% of the 600 people questioned said they were diagnosed within three months of noticing symptoms.

Rare diseases are classified as those that affect fewer than one in 2,000 people. RDUK says such conditions are "surprisingly common", affecting 3.5 million people in the UK during their lives.

source: guardian