If you were asked to name an aging-related neurodegenerative disease, what would you say?
Your answer would most likely be Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). While these are a few of the most well-known conditions of their kind, there are actually many others that can be just as debilitating and devastating for patients and their loved ones.
On Monday, February 29, 2016, people around the world will take part in Rare Disease Day to help raise awareness amongst the general public, as well as decision makers–including but not limited to policy makers, industry representatives and researchers–about uncommon, and often overlooked, diseases and their impact on patients’ lives. Over the course of the week leading up to Rare Disease Day, the IOA will share a series of blog posts focusing on some of the lesser-known neurodegenerative and age-related diseases that affect the aging community.
Thousands of events are held around the world to recognize Rare Disease Day, including one right here in Philadelphia hosted by Penn Medicine’s Orphan Disease Center and Keswick Cycle. This will also kick off Penn’s 2016 Million Dollar Bike Ride, an annual cycling event to raise funds for rare disease research. For more information, click here.
Stay tuned for our series of Rare Disease Day posts!
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The Science of Aging 