List of Currently Incurable Diseases
Ian C. Langtree - Writer/Editor for Disabled World (DW)
Published: 2020/06/07 - Updated: 2025/05/03
Publication Type: Informative
Category Topic: Disability and Health Lists - Academic Publications
Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates
Synopsis: This information provides a comprehensive overview of diseases currently considered incurable, spanning a wide range of conditions including infectious, non-infectious, neoplastic, autoimmune, genetic, and metabolic disorders. The list includes both terminal illnesses, such as late-stage cancer and AIDS, and chronic conditions like diabetes, asthma, and Alzheimer's disease, which can often be managed but not cured. The compilation is particularly authoritative and useful as it highlights not only common diseases but also rare, often genetic disorders, offering valuable insight for patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals, seniors, and people with disabilities. By presenting these conditions in an accessible format, the information underscores the importance of ongoing management, patient-centered care, and the distinction between disease eradication and elimination, making it a helpful resource for understanding the scope and impact of incurable diseases in modern medicine - Disabled World (DW).
Introduction
Our incomplete list of incurable diseases also include rare diseases which are often genetic in nature. Incurable diseases are considered to be disorders of both infectious and non-infectious, neoplastic, autoimmune, genetic, or metabolic in nature that have no known current cure.
Main Content
Terminal illnesses include conditions such as late stage cancer, AIDS and some forms of heart disease. Although many incurable diseases are often terminal, there are also many incurable conditions that that a person can live with all their life.
Medical conditions such as diabetes, asthma, Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, cannot be "cured," but they can be managed. In the past, medical treatment was all about treating the disease, but these days, many doctors have shifted their focus to the patient themselves, rather than just the disease.
Disease Eradication
The ultimate goal in the fight against diseases is their eradication. In theory, many diseases could be eradicated, in practice, only a handful of diseases meet the criteria that make them eradicable with current knowledge, institutions, and technology. The eradication of a disease is considered to be permanent and global, while the elimination of a disease is classified as an achievement restricted to a specific geographic location.
| A |
|---|
| Allergic Diseases |
| Arachnoiditis |
| Asthma |
| Adrenocortical carcinoma |
| Alzheimer's Disease |
| Alopecia |
| Ankylosing Spondylitis |
| Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) |
| Arthritis |
| Ataxia |
| C |
| Cancer |
| Cerebral amyloid angiopathy |
| Chronic Kidney Disease |
| Common cold |
| Complex Regional Dystrophy Syndrome (CRPS/RSD) |
| Coronavirus |
| Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease |
| Crohn's Disease |
| Coeliac Disease |
| Cystic fibrosis |
| Cystic fibrosis |
| Corneal ulcer |
| D |
| Desmoplastic small-round-cell tumor |
| Diabetes |
| Dupuytren's Disease |
| Dengue |
| Depression |
| E |
| Ebola |
| Endometriosis |
| Epilepsy |
| F |
| Factor V Leiden |
| Fatal familial insomnia |
| Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder |
| Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva |
| Fluoroquinolone toxicity syndrome |
| G |
| Gastroparesis |
| Genetic Disease |
| Glioblastoma |
| Graves Disease |
| H |
| Hepatitis B |
| Herpes simplex |
| HIV/AIDS |
| Huntington's Disease |
| Hearing loss (sensorineural) |
| Hereditary multiple exostoses |
| I |
| Interstitial cystitis or Bladder Pain Syndrome |
| Irritable bowel syndrome |
| Immune Thrombocytopenia |
| J |
| Joint pain |
| K |
| Klinefelter syndrome |
| L |
| Leukemia |
| Lichen planus |
| Systemic lupus erythematosus |
| Lymphedema |
| M |
| Macular degeneration |
| Marburg virus |
| Multiple sclerosis |
| Muscular dystrophy |
| Myasthenia gravis |
| N |
| Norovirus |
| Naegleria fowleri |
| Narcolepsy |
| O |
| Obesity |
| Osteoporosis |
| Osteogenesis imperfecta |
| P |
| Parkinson's Disease |
| Paraphilia disorder |
| Pityriasis rubra pilaris |
| Prion Diseases |
| Progeria |
| Polio |
| Polycystic Ovary Syndrome |
| Pre-eclampsia |
| Psoriasis |
| Pulmonary hypertension |
| Pulmonary fibrosis |
| Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome |
| R |
| Rheumatoid arthritis |
| Rabies |
| Rett syndrome |
| S |
| Schizophrenia |
| Scleroderma |
| Scoliosis |
| Spinocerebellar ataxia |
| Severe acute respiratory syndrome |
| T |
| Trigeminal neuralgia |
| Toxoplasmosis |
| U |
| Ulcerative colitis |
| Urethral stricture |
| X |
| Xeroderma pigmentosum |
Insights, Analysis, and Developments
Editorial Note: While the list of incurable diseases may seem daunting, it serves as a crucial reminder of the ongoing challenges faced by millions worldwide. Continued advancements in research, patient care, and societal support are essential to improve quality of life and foster hope for those living with these conditions. Recognizing the breadth of incurable diseases is not only informative but also vital for driving innovation and compassion in healthcare - Disabled World (DW).
Author Credentials: Ian is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, a leading resource for news and information on disability issues. With a global perspective shaped by years of travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed proponent of the Social Model of Disability-a transformative framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that emphasizes dismantling societal barriers rather than focusing solely on individual impairments. His work reflects a deep commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.