When we talk about medical disorders, we don’t usually think about a maggot infestation in someone’s mouth or a person transforming completely into a bark of a tree. Many of you might be suffering or have suffered from acne, cold, and flu or allergy issues. But believe, the diseases you’ve been going through stands nowhere near to below-mentioned disorders when bizarreness and the rarity are concerned. Just when you believe that you’ve seen and heard everything in the world, there comes a list of such inexplicable but true medical conditions that can blow any sane person’s mind.
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1. Foreign Accent Syndrome
It is a rare medical condition in which the patient develops an accent which seems to be a foreign accent to others. The foreign accent syndrome is usually caused by a stroke, but it can also develop due to any head injury, migraines or any other developmental issue. The first patient of foreign accent syndrome reported in 1907, however, between 1940 and 2009, 62 cases have been reported.
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2. Periodic Paralysis
It is also known as the heterogeneous group of muscle. Periodic Paralysis (PP) is described by incidents of soft muscle weakness taking place at irregular intervals. Usually, it is hereditary and episodic rather than periodic. They can be divided suitably into primary and secondary disorders.
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Periodic paralysis is caused by mutations in the genes which are responsible for the development and function of certain ion channels in the muscle membrane.
3. Werewolf Syndrome
This disease is followed by abnormal hair growth all over the body, and the person starts to resemble a werewolf depicted in fictional movies. In general Hypertrichosis hair, growth takes place all over the body while in the case of localized Hypertrichosis a specific place is targeted. In general hypertrichosis, hair growth takes place all over the body except the palms and the sole of the feet. It can be either congenital or acquired.
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Julia Pastrana, a circus artist had hypertrichosis. Many such people worked as freaks and were said to have distinctive human and animal traits.
4. Elephantiasis
Elephantiasis is a parasitic infection which is followed by extreme swelling in the arms and legs. The pathogen responsible for causing this disease is the floral worm, which is transmitted to human via female mosquito when it sucks blood. The parasite develops into an adult worm that lives in the lymphatic system of humans. It is typically marked by the stiffening of the skin and subcutaneous tissue that causes utterly enlarged and swollen limbs which clearly defines the name of the condition. It is also called filariasis due to the causative pathogen, a filarial worm.
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5. Frégoli Syndrome
It is a strange and rare mental disorder in which person holds a strange belief that different people are actually a single person who is continuously emerging in front of him, changing disguise. The disorder is usually caused by brain injury and is paranoid in nature. The delusional person believes that they are mistreated by the supposedly disguised person.
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6. Cotard’s Syndrome
The Cotard delusion or walking corpse syndrome is an unusual mental disorder in which a troubled person is occupied with the belief that they are lifeless either symbolically or in real. 69% of cases reported denial of self-existence while paradoxically 55 % of patients supposed themselves to be immortal.
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The famous case of Mademoiselle X defines a woman who denied the presence of parts of her body and of her need to eat and said that she was destined to interminable damnation and therefore, could not die a natural death. In the course of suffering “The Delirium of Negation”, Mademoiselle X died due to starvation.
7. Persistent Sexual Arousal Syndrome
Persistent genital arousal disorder (PGAD), initially called persistent sexual arousal syndrome (PSAS), causes an impulsive, insistent, and irrepressible sexual arousal of genitalia, that might be caused without orgasm, which is usually not linked to any feelings of lust. Dr. Sandra Leiblum first documented its existence in 2001.
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In men, this disorder is often referred to as Priapism.
In specific, it has no relevance with hyper sexuality.
8. Klippel-Trenaunay Syndrome
Klippel–Trénaunay syndrome previously known as Klippel–Trénaunay–Weber syndrome is a weird hereditary medical state in which blood vessels or lymph vessels are not formed properly. Main three striking features are venous and lymphatic malformations, nevus flammeus (port-wine stains) and soft-tissue hypertrophy of the concerned limb.
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9. Progeria
Progeria is a very rare genetic disorder where symptoms look like those of aging, but at a very early age. The word Progeria arise from the Greek words Pro which means before and geria means aging. The disorder has a very low occurrence rate. It occurs only in an estimated 1 per 8 million live births. The patient usually survives up to their mid-teens, not more than that. It is a genetic condition in which a new mutation takes place and it is usually not congenital. The patient usually doesn’t live to carry out reproduction.
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10. Exploding Head Syndrome
Exploding head syndrome (EHS) is a benign disorder in which a person conjures up hearing loud noises (such as a bomb exploding, a gunshot, or a cymbal crash) or experiences the noises of an explosion while falling asleep or waking up. These noises are usually triggered off episodically and are typically of short duration. It is a type of auditory delusion which occurs in the mind of the patient when he is half asleep. Causes and mechanism of the disease are still unknown.
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11. Fish Odor Syndrome
Trimethylaminuria (TMAU) is an uncanny metabolic malady that disrupts the standard production of an enzyme named Flavin (FMO3). When production of FMO3 is hampered, the body finds difficult to properly change trimethylamine (TMA) from original compounds in food breakdown, into trimethylamine oxide (TMAO), in a course called N-oxygenation. Trimethylamine then accumulates up and is vented out in the patient’s sweat, breath, and urine. Such a person gives off a pungent and foul fishy odor.
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12. Geographic Tongue
Geographic tongue is an inflammatory disease which targets the mucous membrane of the tongue, usually on the dorsal surface. It is uncommon as it affects approximately 2–3% of the general population. It is marked by areas of smooth, red depapillation (loss of lingual papillae) which change places over time. The disease is named as such due to the map-like appearance of the tongue with the embossed patches similar to the islands of an archipelago. The cause is unknown, however, the condition is benign and doesn’t turn into oral cancer. But there is no curative treatment. Exceptionally, the geographic tongue may cause a burning sensation on the tongue.
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13. Alice in Wonderland Syndrome
This is the most interesting, but a weird disorder of all. Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (known by another name Todd’s syndrome) is a perplexing neural condition that upsets human sensitivity. People go through macropsia, , micropsia teleopsia, and pelopsia or size misrepresentation of other sensory modalities. It is usually followed after brain tumors, migraines, and the use of drugs. It is also seen as an early symptom of the Epstein–Barr virus. The symptoms are usually prominent in childhood, however, in some cases, it continues in early teenage. It looks like, AIWS is also a usual occurrence at sleep onset, and is supposed to emerge due to sleep deprivation. It can also develop due to anomalous quantities of electrical commotion, causing unusual blood flow in the parts of the brain that assess the visual sensitivity and quality.
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14. Dr. Strangelove Syndrome
Alien hand syndrome (AHS) or Dr. Strangelove Syndrome is a weird nervous system disorder that instigates hand movement in patients without the knowledge of the person, losing control over his own actions. The troubled person sometimes picks up objects and twists or turns them involuntarily. Sometimes, the intervention of his own healthy hand is required to put away the activities of alien hand. AHS is also observed in a person who got his two hemispheres of the brain surgically separated. The procedure is carried out to get rid of the symptoms of extreme cases of epilepsy. It is also seen in some cases after brain surgery, stroke, infection, tumor, aneurysm and specific degenerative brain conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.
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15. Jumping Frenchmen of Maine
The Jumping Frenchmen of Maine were a group consisting of lumberjacks who demonstrated a rare disorder of unidentified origin. The syndrome involves an inflated startle reflex which may be marked by an uncontrollable “jump”. Individuals with this condition can show abrupt movements in all parts of the body. Jumping Frenchmen syndrome has many symptoms common with other startle disorders. Persons with this condition were first reported in the northern regions of Maine, and were first termed by George Miller Beard in 1878.
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16. Jerusalem Syndrome
Jerusalem syndrome consists of many psychological phenomena concerning the presence of either religiously themed fanatical thoughts, misbeliefs or other psychosis-like experiences that are prompted by a visit to the city of Jerusalem. It is not prevalent in one single religion or denomination but has affected many religious sects like Jews, Christians and Muslims of many different backgrounds. The disease is marked by a strange behavior among the patients that the concerned person seems to be perfectly alright and devoid of any psychological disorder but begins to display the symptoms as soon as he arrives in Jerusalem. The obsession is characterized by a strong religious subject and usually jumps back to normal after has distanced them from the area.
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17. Stone Man Syndrome
Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is an extremely infrequent connective tissue disorder. The disease strikes due to, alteration of the body’s healing mechanism, which causes fossilization of fibrous tissue (including muscle, tendon, and ligament) naturally or when injured. In numerous cases, the joints are completely frozen, following an injury. The additional bone growth is removed by a surgical procedure which causes a temporary respite to the sufferer.
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18. Water Allergy
Aquagenic pruritus is a rare skin condition which is marked by the development of severe, extreme, prickling-like epidermal itching without noticeable skin abrasions and induced by contact with water. The causative factors are still unknown. The symptoms of the condition are similar to other allergic reactions.
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19. Lewandowsky-Lutz Dysplasia
Epidermodysplasia verruciformis (also called Lewandowsky-Lutz dysplasia), informally known as tree man illness is an exceptionally bizarre autosomal receding genetic skin disorder linked with a high possibility of carcinoma of the skin. It is described by abnormal vulnerability to human papillomaviruses (HPVs). Infection with HPV results into the uncontrolled growth of crusty macules and papules, mainly on hands and feet. It is so-called after the physicians who first recognized it, Felix Lewandowsky and Wilhelm Lutz.
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20. Parry–Romberg Syndrome
Parry–Romberg syndrome (with another name progressive hemifacial atrophy) is an uncommon neurocutaneous condition which is followed by advanced shrinkage and deterioration of the soft tissues underneath the skin. It usually targets the skin on a particular side of the face. However, occasionally spreading to several other parts of the body. The disease is speculated to be caused by an autoimmune response. Females are more prone to this disease than males. It usually appears between the age group of 5-15 years. The disorder is habitually followed by substantial neurological, visual and oral signs and indications.
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21. Kleine–Levin Syndrome
Funnily, though, this syndrome is also known as Sleeping Beauty syndrome”. It is a weird sleep disorder which is marked by episodic hypersomnia and mental or mood changes. Many patients have also reported some additional symptoms of hyperphagia and hypersexuality. Patients generally experience the symptoms which last more than a decade. This mental condition usually affects personal, professional and social lives of the patients.
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22. Morgellons Syndrome
Also called Morgellons disease or Morgellons syndrome. Morgellons Syndrome is a condition in which a person develops a misbelief that he or she is infested by a dangerous, disease-causing pathogen. Surprisingly, skin lesions and unusual fibers in the skin is also seen by the medical experts. Sometimes, the skin symptoms are also caused by some dermatological condition. In the latest study, it was found that the fibers found in the skin are no disease-causing organism but is made up of cellulose.
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23. Nail-Patella Syndrome
It is also known as Hood Syndrome. It is a genetic disorder which is followed by poorly grown nails and knee cap. Apart from knee cap and nails, it also targets elbows, chest, and hips. There is no cure available for NPS, however, symptoms can be eased through treatments.
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24. Charles Bonnet Syndrome
Commonly known as Visual release hallucinations, this strange disorder is followed by complex visual hallucinations in a person suffering from partial or absolute blindness. It was first discovered by Charles Bonnet in 1760, and hence, the disease earned this name.
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Today, our modern science is working day and night to help society get a better understanding of these rare but true disorders. Hope remains intact on developing a guaranteed cure on these bizarre medical conditions.
