Development of medical knowledge for understanding, treating, and counteracting orphan diseases

Abstract

COVID-19 made it clear to us that not knowing the pathogens and risks associated with so-called orphan or rare diseases can cost us thousands of lives, including those of young and healthy individuals, who represent our human capital. This literature review analyzes the promotion of existing medical knowledge in medical students to understand, treat, and counteract orphan diseases. This analysis has been presented by many authors and researchers who recognize that medicine still has a lot to do and that it is in university classrooms where the mission of building knowledge that helps manage what ails human life must begin. Authors such as Klein & Nori, et al. [1,2] state that "around 7,000 identified rare diseases affect approximately 350 million people worldwide". The lack of knowledge of the new generations of doctors about orphan diseases makes it difficult to diagnose and treat patients who suffer from them in various parts of the world. According to Jacewicz [3], rare diseases affect approximately 400 million people worldwide. It is predicted that one in twenty people will be affected by a rare disease at some point in their lives. These statistics make it clear that academic medical institutions must promote the necessary knowledge to establish research on these conditions, thereby reinforcing the scientific skills of their students and advancing medicine for social welfare and the prevention of human resource loss in the productive stage.