For 2019's Rare Disease Day, DNA Science honors those who have fragile X syndrome (FXS). It isn't among the rarest of the rare, yet when health care providers can't assemble the diagnostic puzzle pieces that parents are practically yelling at them, the statistics don't matter and the diagnostic odyssey lengthens. Because fragile X is an "expanding repeat" disorder, it lies beneath the radar of standard chromosome and single-gene tests.
The Orphan Drug Act of 1983 in the US defined a rare disease as affecting fewer than 200,000 people. "Orphan" initially referred to pharma's disinterest in developing drugs with minuscule markets, but was deemed non-PC and became "rare" somewhere along the way. In the European Union, the definition is fewer than 1 in 2,000 people, which is pretty close to the US number. The disinterest in seeking treatments for ultrarare conditions has evolved into doing so, but with sky-high price tags.
A few weeks ago I heard from Desiree Moffitt, who uses my human genetics textbook to teach an online course. She kindly offered to share her family's story about life with a child who has fragile X syndrome. "Usually the face of disability is a very happy, quirky family. While we are happy and also quirky, our story isn't as fun," she emailed me. First, some background on fragile X.
To continue reading go to my DNA Science blog at PLOS, where this post first appeared.