Abstract

Rare diseases are common altogether estimated to be 263-446 million people worldwide. Most of the time, they are not included in the curriculum, but medical students, general practitioners, and pediatricians should be educated on how to manage these patients.

We aimed to remark when to suspect rare diseases and define a holistic method to depict how to approach patients suspected of rare diseases and follow them up. We suggested using different methods together and developed an algorithm to provide a rapid and stepwise approach to a possible diagnosis, together with long-term management principles.

Raising awareness of rare diseases among clinicians has paramount importance. However, there is no consensus on how to cover these diverse diseases. We hope the holistic approach will help develop strategies to equip clinicians.

Keywords: Congenital Diseases, Genetic Diseases, Primary Immunodeficiencies, Rare Diseases

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Copyright and license

How to cite

1.
Kanburoğlu Ç, Kanburoglu MK. How to Teach Medical Students and Clinicians to Handle Zebras? A Holistic Algorithm to Manage Rare Diseases. Turk J Pediatr Dis [Internet]. 2021 Sep. 23 [cited 2025 May 25];15(5):447-50. Available from: https://turkjpediatrdis.org/article/view/767