rare diseases news stories on Newser

'Mermaid Girl' Shiloh Dies at 10

John Johnson — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:56:40 CDT

Shiloh Pepin, a young girl in Maine born with a rare condition known as "mermaid syndrome," has died at age 10. Shiloh wasn't supposed to live more than a few days, but "she was a tough little thing," said her mom. Shiloh's legs were fused together from the waist down,...

Pharma Under Fire Over Pricey Drugs for Kids

Green Point — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 07:37:11 CDT

In the face of astronomical hikes in the price of drugs used to treat children, a congressional committee is looking into why companies have increased prescription costs as much as 18-fold when related research and marketing expenses are stable, according to lawmakers. One such company charges $69,000 for a...

Stem Cells Are Beating Boy's Deadly Disease

Rob Quinn — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 14:43:25 CDT

A stem cell treatment has apparently cured a 2-year-old boy's rare genetic disease, the Los Angeles Times reports. Nate Liao suffered a disorder that made his skin so fragile, it had to be wrapped in bandages at all times. Now the fatal disease is retreating, and Nate is eating, dressing,...

Gates Aims $100M at Polio

Marcia Greenwood — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 04:30:00 CST

The world stands at the brink of eradicating polio, Bill Gates says, and his foundation yesterday awarded $100 million toward that end. One of the foundation's largest challenge grants will fund programs in four countries where the disease is still epidemic, notably Nigeria. The Rotary Foundation received the grant and...

Rare Disorder May Have Afflicted Lincoln

Caroline Zimmerman — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 14:20:00 CST

Abraham Lincoln may have been the first known victim of an exceedingly rare genetic disorder, and the 16th President was probably dying of cancer when he was assassinated, an expert says. The cancer-causing syndrome would account for his height, bumpy lips, and other conditions—but corroborating the theory with DNA...