10 Weird diseases – Medical shockers!
Fact can at times be stranger than fiction. Medical science is no exception to this rule! Diseases with symptoms weirder than a science fiction movie have been in existence for centuries! Read on to get to know some of these hard-to-digest diseases.
Alien hand syndrome
Imagine your hands working of their own accord. They just get up and start unbuttoning your shirt or ruffling your hair while you look on haplessly. Your hands act as if they are possessed by extra-terrestrials! This is a condition called Alien Hand Syndrome. Usually seen after stroke, it happens when 2 areas of the brain are disconnected from the normal neural pathway for voluntary control. The alien hand may do things exactly opposite to what the normal limb does. There is no cure except to give the alien hand something to grasp and keep it busy.
Human werewolf syndrome
Having hair on the body is normal. Some people have more than normal hair. Some people have even more, so much so that they may resemble wolves! Called as Congenital Hypertrichosis, this excessive hair growth all over the body is a result of a chromosomal anomaly. The person sprouts hair all over the body irrespective of his sex and age. What is interesting is that this condition is always accompanied by tooth defects called Gingival Hyperplasia. No wonder then that the poor sufferers are compared to werewolves!
Tree bark skin disorder
Imaging having a large wart on one of the exposed parts of your body! Embarrassing, isn’t it? Now imagine having your entire body filled with huge ugly warts! That is what happens to people with Tree Bark Skin Disorder. This condition is seen in Epidermodysplasia verruciformis, an inherited skin disorder characterised by eruptions of wart-like lesions that may occur anywhere on the body. One type of lesions are reddish brown and have scaly surfaces and irregular borders; while the second type are seen on sun-exposed skin and are often slightly raised, brown coloured lesions resembling tree bark. This condition is caused by the Human Papilloma virus. No known treatment exists for this disease except for counselling and surgery.
Foreign accent syndrome
This is a rare condition seen after a severe brain trauma. The person starts to speak in a completely different accent. This happens due to damage to the cerebellum which controls the accent and fluidity of language. The affected person doesn’t speak any foreign languages, but the way he speaks his own language is changed such a way that he speaks more slowly and with interruptions that is interpreted by listeners as a foreign accent. Treatment involves resolving the cause.
Body integrity identity disorder
This is an extremely rare psychiatric condition. Here the sufferer believes that a part of his body does not belong to him and insists that it be amputated for his own good. In severe cases, he may self-mutilate upon the doctor’s refusal. Psychotherapy to determine any underlying unresolved trauma is the only treatment available.
Porphyria
Oversensitivity to light, painful red blisters appearing on the skin when exposed to sunlight, receding gum lines, abdominal pain after eating garlic. Doesn’t it remind you of a vampire? They are also symptoms of a rare disorder called Porphyria. This is a genetic condition that occurs due to build-up of porphyrins, chemicals produced during heme destruction. There is no cure for this disorder, except for regular blood transfusions.
Accelerated ageing syndrome - Progeria
This is an extremely rare condition well-portrayed in the Indian movie Paa. Here the child is born looking very old and shows several ‘old-age’ symptoms at an extremely early age. The children have a thin bony nose, less fat under the skin, wrinkled skin. Though they look old, there is no disruption in intellectual activity. The disease is fatal and the children die due to stroke and arteriosclerosis caused by the hardening of arteries, conditions that typically occur in old age.
Persistent sexual arousal syndrome
Being horny and having an orgasm 24/7 may sound interesting to one, but it is a living hell for people who suffer from this condition. Persistent Sexual Arousal Syndrome is characterised by unrelenting, persistent and intrusive genital arousal which has nothing to do with sexual desires. This condition can affect anyone irrespective of age or gender and is so distressful and embarrassing that people with this condition often turn suicidal. Several theories have been proposed as to the cause of this condition. Ultra-sensitive nerves of the genital region, venous congestion of pelvic organs, deficiency of oxytocin release from the pituitary and disorder of the prolactin hormone after orgasm are all possible causes for this disorder.
Congenital insensitivity to pain
When you see an ascetic walking over hot burning coals with a serene smile on his face, you can’t help but believe in his faith in God, but there are chances that he is suffering from congenital hypersensitivity to pain. This is a rare condition that affects the nervous system, which connects the brain and spinal cord to muscles and cells that detect sensations such as touch, smell, and pain. It is believed to be caused due to mutation in the gene that controls these pain sensing neurons. Sufferers are oblivious to any kind of painful sensations in their way and can often end up with serious injuries.
Trimethylaminuria (Fish odor syndrome)
This disorder is an inherited disorder and involves abnormal metabolism of the flavin enzyme FMO3. More common in women than men, it involves an embarrassing condition of emitting a strong foul fishy odor every time one speaks, yawns, or passes urine. Female sex hormones-estrogen and progesterone- aggravate the condition as it typically worsens around puberty, during periods and around menopause. Those with this syndrome are advised against eating foods containing trimethylamine and its precursors, such as, legume and soy products, milk from wheat-fed cattle, eggs, liver, kidney, peas, peanut, cabbage family vegetables, and seafood. Weird diseases with weird symptoms are a reality and thankfully they are extremely rare too!
