Overcoming diagnostic challenges in rare diseases through innovative digital health partnerships 17th March 2021 ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
This piece is written and sponsored by Ipsen UK At Ipsen, we are committed to supporting patients with rare diseases throughout their disease journey – from diagnosis through to treatment follow-up. By nature of being rare conditions, many are challenging to diagnose; often, GPs are expected to spot symptoms of conditions that many never see in their entire careers. Around a quarter of people affected across Europe are thought to wait between five and 30 years for a correct diagnosis 1, and symptoms are often mistaken for other, less serious issues. In neuroendocrine cancers, for example, symptoms can include fatigue or feeling bloated and over half of patients are thought to be advised by their GP to simply come back if symptoms persist. COVID-19 has further exacerbated referral challenges, with a DATA-CAN report noting a 70% drop of urgent referrals during the pandemic as compared to prior to the pandemic