site.btaUniversity Hospital in Varna Joins European Programme for Patients with Rare Diseases

The Saint Marina Multiprofile Hospital of Active Treatment in the Black Sea city of Varna is already part of EU4Health, a large-scale European programme for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with rare diseases, which includes some 1,400 medical centres in different countries, the hospital’s press centre said on Thursday.

Two rare disease expert centres have been operating in Varna since 2016 and monitoring over 700 patients from all over the country. By a European Commission decision to be included in the programme, the hospital will take a leading role in planning and providing education to medical professionals, patients and the public in Bulgaria on rare endocrine diseases over the next four years. All activities will be led by Prof. Dr. Violeta Iotova.

"Bulgarian patients with rare diseases now have the opportunity to receive the medical care in Varna, diagnostics, treatment and therapy, which other EU Member States offer and do not need to seek help abroad," the hospital told BTA. "The diseases that the programme covers and the hospital has proven competence in are growth hormone deficiency, rare syndromes (Silver-Russell syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, Noonan syndrome, Turner syndrome, etc.), disorders of sexual differentiation, Hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia, rare anaemias, and coagulopathies.

Half a million people in Europe are diagnosed with a rare disease every year. Rare or low prevalence complex diseases affect the daily lives of around 32 million EU citizens.