Why Doctors Are Often Stumped by Rare Disorders

When you hear hoofbeats, think horses—not zebras. 

PharmaPhorum asked Siren Interactive to write a series of blog posts about the world of rare diseases. In the six-part series, titled “Rare is different,” we’re showing how working within rare diseases is unlike other pharma markets, particularly in the knowledge and influence wielded by patients and caregivers.

I wrote the second post, “Why doctors are often stumped by rare disorders.” Physicians are trained to arrive at a medical diagnosis by starting with the potential causes that are most common. The adage is “When you hear hoofbeats, think horses—not zebras.” This is logical and effective if a patient has a common disease. But the diagnosis of a rare disease obviously requires a different approach.

Read the post to learn more about the issues that can limit a physician’s ability to effectively diagnose and treat rare disorders.

(Image courtesy of Nathan Bittinger on Flickr).

About Frieda Hernandez

Frieda leads Siren’s business development, marketing and alliance activities. She has a reputation for developing innovative marketing strategies and building mutually beneficial client partnerships with biopharmaceutical executives. She advocates for authenticity and transparency in creating trust relationships online and is an avid participant in industry conferences and social networks to stay abreast of all the current issues.

View other posts from Frieda