OBJECTIVES: To identify occurrence of rare disease (RD) and analyze its incidence, in order to make decisions that help improve public and individual health.

METHODS: Descriptive study. The SIVIGILA database of event “342”, residents in the city of Barranquilla, notified between 2017 and 2022, was accessed. This was refined and processed in SPSS V22. The clinical and sociodemographic characteristics of the cases are described.

RESULTS: 1317 subjects with RD were reported, 60.7% were women. The Crude Incidence Rate went from 8.74 x 100,000 in 2017 to 34.4 in 2022. The average age was 38.4 +/-23.1 years and 26% were minors; 79% belonged to the contributory regime. 47% had a laboratory diagnosis; 13.7% required hospitalization and the overall fatality rate was 1.8%. 12% of cases had multiple sclerosis, 6.9% Von-Willebrand disease, 5.6% Guillain-Barre syndrome, 4.3% Psoriatic rheumatism, 3.9% Congenital factor VIII deficiency, 3.6 % Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, 2.6% Cystic fibrosis, 2.3% Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, 2.1% Crohn's disease, 2.1% Cutaneous systemic sclerosis, 2.1% Myasthenia gravis and the rest (222 diseases) corresponded at 2% or less each.

CONCLUSIONS: Rare diseases can be chronic or incurable. Its low incidence, compared to other conditions, in a city of less than 2 million inhabitants, like Barranquilla, motivates a detailed and detailed study of each one.