Mysterious diseases you've never heard of. Mysterious disease - the most interesting in blogs

Science has made significant progress in medicine - it is now possible to cope with diseases that our ancestors only dreamed of defeating. However, there are still diseases that make doctors throw up their hands in bewilderment. Some of them have unknown origins, or they affect the body in completely incredible ways. Perhaps one day it will be possible to explain these strange diseases and cope with them, but for now they still remain a mystery to humanity.

From people who can dance themselves to death to water allergies, here are 25 incredibly weird but real diseases that science can't explain!

(Total 25 photos)

Acute flabby myelitis

Myelitis is inflammation of the spinal cord. It is sometimes called polio syndrome. It is a neurological disease that affects children and leads to weakness or paralysis. Young patients experience constant pain in joints and muscles. Until the end of the 50s of the twentieth century, polio was a terrible disease, epidemics of which in different countries claimed many thousands of lives. Of those sick, about 10% died, and another 40% became disabled.

After the invention of the vaccine, scientists claimed that the disease had been defeated. But, despite WHO assurances, polio has not yet given up - its outbreaks occur from time to time in different countries. At the same time, people who have already been vaccinated get sick, since the virus of Asian origin has acquired an unusual mutation.

This is a condition characterized by an acute lack of fatty tissue in the body and its deposition in unusual places, such as the liver. Due to such strange symptoms, patients with LSPS have a very characteristic appearance - they appear very muscular, almost like superheroes. They also tend to have prominent facial bones and enlarged genitalia.

With one of the two known types of LSPS, doctors also discovered a mild mental disorder, but this is not the biggest problem for patients. This unusual distribution of fat tissue leads to serious problems, namely high levels of fat in the blood and insulin resistance, while the accumulation of fat in the liver or heart can lead to severe organ damage and even sudden death.

Sleeping sickness

This disease was terrifying when it first appeared at the beginning of the 20th century. First, the patients began to hallucinate, and then they became paralyzed. They seemed to be sleeping, but in fact these people were conscious. Many died at this stage, and those who survived experienced terrible behavior problems for the rest of their lives (Parkinsonism syndrome). The epidemic of this disease did not appear again, and doctors to this day do not know what caused it, although many versions have been put forward (a virus, an immune reaction that destroys the brain). Presumably, Adolf Hitler suffered from lethargic encephalitis, and subsequent parkinsonism could have influenced his rash decisions.

Exploding head syndrome

Patients hear incredibly loud explosions in their heads and sometimes see flashes of light that do not exist in reality, and doctors have no idea why. This is a little-studied phenomenon that is classified as a sleep disorder. The causes of this syndrome, which is more common in women than men, are still unknown. It usually manifests itself against the background of lack of sleep (deprivation). Recently, an increasing number of young people are suffering from this syndrome.

Sudden infant death syndrome

This phenomenon is the sudden death from respiratory arrest of an apparently healthy infant or child in which an autopsy cannot determine the cause of death. SIDS is sometimes called “cradle death” because it may not be preceded by any signs, often the baby dies in its sleep. The causes of this syndrome are still unknown.

Aquagenic urticaria

Also known as water allergy. Patients experience a painful skin reaction upon contact with water. This is a real disease, although very rare. Only about 50 cases have been described in the medical literature. Water intolerance causes a severe allergic response, sometimes even to rain, snow, sweat or tears. The manifestations are usually more severe in women, and the first symptoms are detected during puberty. The causes of water allergy are not clear, but symptoms can be treated with antihistamines.

Brainerd's Diarrhea

Named after the city where the first such case was recorded (Brainerd, Minnesota, USA). Sufferers who have contracted this infection visit the toilet 10-20 times a day. Diarrhea is often accompanied by nausea, cramps and constant fatigue.

In 1983, there were eight outbreaks of Brainerd's diarrhea, six of them in the United States. But the first one was still the largest - 122 people got sick in a year. There are suspicions that the disease occurs after drinking fresh milk - but it is still unclear why it torments a person for so long.

Severe visual hallucinations, or Charles Bonnet syndrome

A condition during which patients experience quite vivid and complex hallucinations despite suffering partial or complete loss of vision due to old age or diseases such as diabetes and glaucoma.

Although there are few recorded cases of this disease, it is believed to be widespread among older people suffering from blindness. Between 10 and 40% of blind people suffer from Charles Bonnet syndrome. Fortunately, unlike the other conditions listed here, the symptoms of severe visual hallucinations go away on their own after a year or two as the brain begins to adjust to the loss of vision.

Electromagnetic hypersensitivity

More of a mental illness than a physical one. Patients believe that their various symptoms are caused by electromagnetic fields. However, doctors have discovered that people cannot distinguish between real and fake fields. Why do they still believe this? This is usually associated with a conspiracy theory.

Shackled person syndrome

As this syndrome develops, the patient's muscles become more and more stiff until he is completely paralyzed. Doctors are not sure what exactly causes these symptoms; Possible hypotheses include diabetes and mutating genes.

Nodule syndrome

This disease is characterized by the consumption of inedible substances. People suffering from this disease experience a constant desire to consume various types of non-food substances, including dirt and glue, instead of food. That is, everything that comes to hand during an exacerbation. Doctors have still not found either the real cause of the disease or a method of treatment.

English sweat

The English sweat, or English sweating fever, is an infectious disease of unknown etiology with a very high mortality rate that visited Europe (primarily Tudor England) several times between 1485 and 1551. The illness began with chills, dizziness and headache, as well as pain in the neck, shoulders and limbs. Then a fever and extreme sweat, thirst, increased heart rate, delirium, and pain in the heart began. There were no skin rashes. A characteristic sign of the disease was severe drowsiness, often preceding death after exhausting sweat: it was believed that if a person was allowed to fall asleep, he would not wake up.

At the end of the 16th century, “English sweating fever” suddenly disappeared and since then has never appeared anywhere else, so now we can only speculate about the nature of this very unusual and mysterious disease.

Peruvian meteorite disease

When a meteorite fell near the village of Carancas in Peru, local residents who approached the crater fell ill with an unknown illness that caused severe nausea. Doctors believe the cause was arsenic poisoning from a meteorite.

The disease is characterized by the appearance of unusual stripes throughout the body. This disease was first discovered by a German dermatologist in 1901. The main symptom of the disease is the appearance of visible asymmetrical stripes on the human body. Anatomy still cannot explain such a phenomenon as Blaschko Lines. There is an assumption that these lines have been embedded in human DNA since time immemorial and are transmitted hereditarily.

Kuru disease, or laughing death

The Fore tribe of cannibals, living in the mountains of New Guinea, was discovered only in 1932. Members of this tribe suffered from the fatal disease Kuru, the name of which in their language has two meanings - “trembling” and “spoilage”. The Fore believed that illness was the result of an evil eye from a foreign shaman. The main signs of the disease are severe trembling and jerky movements of the head, sometimes accompanied by a smile, similar to that which appears in patients with tetanus. In the initial stage, the disease manifests itself as dizziness and fatigue. Then a headache, cramps and, eventually, typical tremors are added. Over the course of several months, the brain tissue degrades into a spongy mass, after which the patient dies.

The disease was spread through ritual cannibalism, namely eating the brain of someone with the disease. With the eradication of cannibalism, kuru practically disappeared.

Cyclic vomiting syndrome

Usually develops in childhood. The symptoms are quite clear - repeated bouts of vomiting and nausea. Doctors do not know what exactly is the cause of this disorder. What is clear is that people with this disease can suffer from nausea for days or weeks. In the case of one patient, the most acute attack was that she vomited 100 times in 24 hours. Usually this happens 40 times a day, mainly due to stress or in a state of nervous excitement. Seizures cannot be predicted.

Blue skin syndrome, or acanthokeratoderma

People with this diagnosis have blue or plum skin color. In the last century, a whole family of blue people lived in the American state of Kentucky. They were called Blue Fugates. By the way, besides this hereditary disease, they did not have any other diseases, and most of this family lived more than 80 years.

Morgellons disease

Twentieth century disease

Also known as multiple chemical sensitivity. The disease is characterized by negative reactions to various modern chemicals and products, including plastics and synthetic fibers. As with electromagnetic sensitivity, patients do not react unless they know they are interacting with chemicals.

The most famous incident of this disease occurred in 1518 in Strasbourg, France, when a woman named Frau Troffee began dancing for no reason. Hundreds of people joined her over the next few weeks, and eventually many of them died from exhaustion. Probable causes are mass poisoning or mental disorder.

Children affected by this disease look like ninety-year-olds. Progeria is caused by a defect in a person's genetic code. This disease has unpreventable and detrimental consequences for humans. Most people born with this disease die by age 13 as their body accelerates the aging process. Progeria is extremely rare. This disease is seen in only 48 people around the world, five of whom are relatives, therefore, it is also considered hereditary.

Porphyria

Some scientists believe that it was this disease that gave rise to myths and legends about vampires and werewolves. Why? The skin of patients affected by this disease blisters and “boils” when exposed to sunlight, and their gums “dry out,” causing their teeth to resemble fangs. Do you know what's the strangest thing? The stool turns purple.

The causes of this disease are still not well understood. It is known to be hereditary and associated with improper synthesis of red blood cells. Many scientists are inclined to believe that in most cases it occurs as a result of incest.

Gulf War Syndrome

A disease that affected Gulf War veterans. There are several symptoms, ranging from insulin resistance to loss of muscle control. Doctors believe that the disease was caused by the use of depleted uranium in weapons (including chemical weapons).

Maine Jumping Frenchman Syndrome

The main symptom of this disease is severe fear if something unexpected happens to the patient. In this case, a person susceptible to the disease jumps up, starts screaming, waves his arms, stutters, falls, starts rolling on the floor and cannot calm down for a long time. This disease was first recorded in the United States in 1878 in a Frenchman, hence its name. Described by George Miller Beard, the disease only affected French-Canadian lumberjacks in northern Maine. Doctors believe it is a genetic disease.

A group of scientists compiled list of the most mysterious diseases, which still plunge people into stupor and bewilderment.

Science and technological progress do not stand still; humanity has learned to fight a large number of previously incurable diseases, but despite this, the origin of some diseases has still not been explained.

So, the top 5 most mysterious diseases.

1. "Marburg virus"- Causes Marburg hemorrhagic fever. This virus was initially discovered in central and eastern Africa as an infection in great and non-human primates.

The disease is characterized by a severe course, high mortality, hemorrhagic syndrome, damage to the liver, gastrointestinal tract and central nervous system.

Mortality ranges from 23-50%, reaching 70% in some outbreaks. The pathology is incurable.

2. “Lethargic encephalitis”- the disease affects the brain, causing patients to find themselves in a stasis-like state, silent and motionless.

People who suffer from this disease are subject to severe hallucinations, and after them they fall into a state of lethargic sleep. All attempts to identify the causative agent of the disease ended in failure, but the nature of the epidemic gave reason to assume the viral nature of the causative agent.

Presumably, Adolf Hitler suffered from lethargic encephalitis, and subsequent parkinsonism could have influenced his rash decisions.

3. “Sudden infant death syndrome”- sudden death from respiratory arrest of an apparently healthy infant or child under 1 year of age, in which an autopsy does not allow the cause of death to be determined.

Sometimes this disease is called “death in the cradle”, since it may not be preceded by any signs; often the child dies in his sleep.

4. “Mad cow disease” - Spongiform encephalopathy- a disease that leads to irreversible, lethal changes in the brain of infected animals. The disease literally turns the brains of infected animals into mush.

Scientists around the world still cannot explain the origin of this disease. The cause is currently thought to be a specific type of misfolded protein called a prion. Such prion proteins spread disease between individuals and cause brain degradation.

5. “Stiff Person Syndrome” aka Muscle Stiffness Syndrome- an incredibly rare neurological syndrome in which the patient experiences increased general muscle stiffness (increased muscle tone, painful spasms).

In the last stages of the disease, spasms and stiffness affect the vast majority of the muscles. Severe spasms can lead to fractures, joint deformities, and muscle tears. It becomes extremely difficult for the patient to eat, move and perform other activities necessary to maintain life.

The origin of the disease is unknown.

Mad cow disease, SARS, avian or swine flu - these terms suddenly appeared on everyone's lips, thanks to the media. But few people know that such rare diseases were encountered in medical practice that the number of patients around the world amounted to only a few hundred. Today we decided to introduce readers to a list of the most rare and mysterious diseases that no one has ever heard of.

Morgellons disease

The list opens with a disease that has managed to earn the unspoken status of “the plague of the 21st century.” And this terrifying definition was not given in vain, because according to the sociological foundation, the scourge has already affected almost 14 thousand people around the world. Penetration of foreign bodies (spores) occurs when swimming in polluted water bodies. Soon, the infected person will develop bleeding sores on the body, and the skin will become covered with black hairs. External symptoms are complemented by incredibly severe pain in the joints, changes in vision, short-term memory loss and exhaustion.

Progeria

Such a rare disease as progeria is congenital. In cases where an anomaly develops, the fetus receives a defect at the development stage in the womb. This deadly disease is otherwise called premature aging, and patients on average live only up to 13 biological years.

Children exposed to this deadly scourge suffer from delayed development of bone and muscle tissue, which begins by the age of one year. Typically, by age 2, a child with progeria will have a disproportionately small face, bulging eyes, and an underdeveloped chin. After reaching the age of two, the patient experiences complete disappearance of hair, eyelashes and eyebrows, and signs of wrinkled skin appear. Over time, patients lose not only the elasticity of their skin, but also the elasticity of their artery walls. Death in 90% of cases is caused by a stroke or heart attack.

Allergy to water

Have you ever heard that you can be allergic to water? This rare disease is diagnosed in only a few dozen patients around the world. The body's rejection of water or components contained in it can be caused by hormonal imbalance in women after childbirth. However, this is not the only cause of the disease, which manifests itself in the form of a small itchy red rash all over the body due to hand washing, showering or drinking water. Some patients suffer so much from allergies that they can shower for no more than 10 seconds and drink Diet Coke.

Foreign Accent Syndrome

Not all rare diseases are caused by bad genetics or hormonal changes. Some problems are psychological. Thus, foreign accent syndrome is the inexplicable ability of a person to speak a barely recognizable dialect. To date, doctors have diagnosed this anomaly in only 60 patients around the world. At first, doctors refused to identify changes in speech, characteristic lengthening of vowel sounds, or other similar abuses with psychiatric diseases.

However, due to the identification of the same brain abnormalities in patients, doctors reconsidered their views on the occurrence of the problem. The anomalies themselves appear as striking similarities with various world dialects and dialects. The very first case was identified back in 1941 in Norway, when a woman was subjected to severe obstruction from her community for having a pronounced German accent.

Death from laughter

The following rare pathology has been known since ancient times and is called “death from laughter”; it occurs in cases where a prolonged and uncontrollable bout of laughter causes asphyxia or cardiac arrest. In modern times, manic laughter leading to death has become famous thanks to media coverage of similar cases among the tribal people of Papua New Guinea. Doctors from all over the world immediately expressed interest in studying this problem. Since then, doctors have been monitoring people from Australia and the United States who suffered from kuru disease (death from laughter).

This disease can manifest itself as a result of a traumatic brain injury or injury to internal organs received during a fit of strong laughter, as well as due to other diseases. Symptoms first appear in the form of regularly shaking limbs, then the person begins to stumble when walking. After some time, the patient loses the ability to stand, as well as the ability to speak coherently, acquires strabismus and ultimately dies.

Scientists tend to regard death from laughter as being transmitted at the genetic level. And as a result of studies of the brain of a person who died from a similar illness, numerous holes were identified in the internal organ. It is also believed that the attack could have spread at one time due to the adherence of the tribes of New Guinea to cannibalism. In our time, the peak times of the epidemic have subsided precisely because of the extermination of such a phenomenon as cannibalism.

Fibrodysplasia

This rare genetic disease (on average 1 patient in 2 million people) affects tendons and ligaments, which after some time show the ability to transform into bone tissue. There is a known case when in 1938, a five-year-old American child, Harry Eastlack, broke his leg, but the fracture was not properly diagnosed. The bone tissue from the fracture site has grown into the hips and knees. By the time of his death, in 1973, Eastlack's body had almost completely turned into bone tissue, and he himself was only able to move his lips. Before his death, Harry bequeathed his own skeleton to the International Philadelphia Association for a detailed study of the disease.

Alice in Wonderland Syndrome

Patients susceptible to this anomaly tend to perceive objects as much smaller in size than they actually are. This condition can also affect the deformation of auditory perception, the organs of touch and distortion of the visual perception of one’s own reflection in the mirror. Doctors believe that migraine can be a harbinger of the disease.

Events

There are a large number of diseases that doctors can cure with a few injections or simple therapy. But there are still many diseases that occupy the minds of scientists and doctors with their mystery and inexplicability.

Morgellons disease

This mysterious disease has already affected several thousand people around the world, and its symptoms border on science fiction. Those suffering from it complain of uncontrollable muscle cramps and the presence of non-healing wounds from which, especially after bathing, small black threads come out. Skin wounds are accompanied by burning and itching. Some experts in the medical community call this illness nothing more than a psychotic delusion, while others contradict them, claiming that the symptoms are very real.

Chronic fatigue syndrome

Chronic fatigue is a classic example of an illness with unexplained physical symptoms. Such a diagnosis is made only when all other diseases are excluded. The disease is characterized by a constant feeling of extreme fatigue, muscle pain, fever, drowsiness and depression, which last for months, and in some cases, years.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

One of the most well-known variants of this rare brain disease is better known as “mad cow disease,” and can be diagnosed in humans after eating contaminated beef. As a rule, this disease always ends in death, it progresses very quickly, but until now doctors not only cannot understand the exact cause of its development, but also cannot prevent it.

Schizophrenia

Experts consider this disease the most mysterious of all known mental disorders, which deprives the patient of the ability to logically distinguish reality from illusions. Symptoms of the disease vary greatly between patients and include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, lack of motivation, and emotions, but the disease has no specific medical testing and cannot be diagnosed by any medical indicators.

Autoimmune diseases

This is a group of diseases in which the body’s own immune system destroys organs and tissues, which is normally designed to recognize and destroy foreign structures (bacteria, foreign proteins, tumor cells, transplanted tissues, etc.). As a rule, these diseases are chronic, always severe, and doctors can do little other than alleviate the symptoms.

Pica

People diagnosed with this type have an insatiable desire to consume non-food items such as dirt, paper, glue or clay. Although it is believed that it may be due to mineral deficiency, however, health experts have not found the true cause of its occurrence and are not yet able to treat the peculiar disorder.

Bird flu

People have no immunity to the powerful virus carried by birds, which can be transmitted from person to person. The mortality rate among infected people is 50 percent, but until now people have only contracted the disease through direct contact with infected birds.

Common cold

Despite the fact that a huge number of people get colds every year, scientists still know little about why a runny nose or cough appears, since there can be a huge number of reasons. Often the main and most effective treatment is time and chicken broth, not antibiotics.

Alzheimer's disease

This disease should not be confused with forgetfulness, which is characteristic of most older people. Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative brain disorder that manifests itself differently in each patient. The exact cause of its appearance has not yet been determined, and therefore the corresponding treatment is not entirely effective.

AIDS

25 years have passed since the disease was first identified, and there is still no medicine that cures a person from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. AIDS is still one of the worst killers around the world, especially in developing countries.

From people who can dance themselves to death to water allergies, here are 25 incredibly weird but real diseases that science can't explain!

Sleeping sickness

This disease was terrifying when it first appeared at the beginning of the 20th century. First, the patients began to hallucinate, and then they became paralyzed. They seemed to be sleeping, but in fact these people were conscious. Many died at this stage, and those who survived experienced terrible behavior problems for the rest of their lives (Parkinsonism syndrome). The epidemic of this disease did not appear again, and doctors to this day do not know what caused it, although many versions have been put forward (a virus, an immune reaction that destroys the brain). Presumably, Adolf Hitler suffered from lethargic encephalitis, and subsequent parkinsonism could have influenced his rash decisions.

Acute flabby myelitis

Myelitis is inflammation of the spinal cord. It is sometimes called polio syndrome. It is a neurological disease that affects children and leads to weakness or paralysis. Young patients experience constant pain in joints and muscles. Until the end of the 50s of the twentieth century, polio was a terrible disease, epidemics of which in different countries claimed many thousands of lives. Of those sick, about 10% died, and another 40% became disabled.

Berardinelli-Sape congenital lipodystrophy (SBLS)

This is a condition characterized by an acute lack of fatty tissue in the body and its deposition in unusual places, such as the liver. Due to such strange symptoms, patients with LSPS have a very characteristic appearance - they appear very muscular, almost like superheroes. They also tend to have prominent facial bones and enlarged genitalia.

Exploding head syndrome

Patients hear incredibly loud explosions in their heads and sometimes see flashes of light that do not exist in reality, and doctors have no idea why. This is a little-studied phenomenon that is classified as a sleep disorder. The causes of this syndrome, which is more common in women than men, are still unknown. It usually manifests itself against the background of lack of sleep (deprivation). Recently, an increasing number of young people are suffering from this syndrome.

Sudden infant death syndrome

This phenomenon is the sudden death from respiratory arrest of an apparently healthy infant or child in which an autopsy cannot determine the cause of death. SIDS is sometimes called “cradle death” because it may not be preceded by any signs, often the baby dies in its sleep. The causes of this syndrome are still unknown.

Aquagenic urticaria

Also known as water allergy. Patients experience a painful skin reaction upon contact with water. This is a real disease, although very rare. Only about 50 cases have been described in the medical literature. Water intolerance causes a severe allergic response, sometimes even to rain, snow, sweat or tears. The manifestations are usually more severe in women, and the first symptoms are detected during puberty. The causes of water allergy are not clear, but symptoms can be treated with antihistamines.

Brainerd's Diarrhea

Named after the city where the first such case was recorded (Brainerd, Minnesota, USA). Sufferers who have contracted this infection visit the toilet 10-20 times a day. Diarrhea is often accompanied by nausea, cramps and constant fatigue.

Severe visual hallucinations, or Charles Bonnet syndrome

A condition during which patients experience quite vivid and complex hallucinations despite suffering partial or complete loss of vision due to old age or diseases such as diabetes and glaucoma.

Electromagnetic hypersensitivity

More of a mental illness than a physical one. Patients believe that their various symptoms are caused by electromagnetic fields. However, doctors have discovered that people cannot distinguish between real and fake fields. Why do they still believe this? This is usually associated with a conspiracy theory.

Shackled person syndrome

As this syndrome develops, the patient's muscles become more and more stiff until he is completely paralyzed. Doctors are not sure what exactly causes these symptoms; Possible hypotheses include diabetes and mutating genes.

Allotriophagy

This disease is characterized by the consumption of inedible substances. People suffering from this disease experience a constant desire to consume various types of non-food substances, including dirt and glue, instead of food. That is, everything that comes to hand during an exacerbation. Doctors have still not found either the real cause of the disease or a method of treatment.

English sweat

The English sweat, or English sweating fever, is an infectious disease of unknown etiology with a very high mortality rate that visited Europe (primarily Tudor England) several times between 1485 and 1551. The illness began with chills, dizziness and headache, as well as pain in the neck, shoulders and limbs. Then a fever and extreme sweat, thirst, increased heart rate, delirium, and pain in the heart began. There were no skin rashes. A characteristic sign of the disease was severe drowsiness, often preceding death after exhausting sweat: it was believed that if a person was allowed to fall asleep, he would not wake up.

Peruvian meteorite disease

When a meteorite fell near the village of Carancas in Peru, local residents who approached the crater fell ill with an unknown illness that caused severe nausea. Doctors believe the cause was arsenic poisoning from a meteorite.

Blaschko lines

The disease is characterized by the appearance of unusual stripes throughout the body. This disease was first discovered by a German dermatologist in 1901. The main symptom of the disease is the appearance of visible asymmetrical stripes on the human body. Anatomy still cannot explain such a phenomenon as Blaschko Lines. There is an assumption that these lines have been embedded in human DNA since time immemorial and are transmitted hereditarily.

Kuru disease, or laughing death

The Fore tribe of cannibals, living in the mountains of New Guinea, was discovered only in 1932. Members of this tribe suffered from the fatal disease Kuru, the name of which in their language has two meanings - “trembling” and “spoilage”. The Fore believed that illness was the result of an evil eye from a foreign shaman. The main signs of the disease are severe trembling and jerky movements of the head, sometimes accompanied by a smile, similar to that which appears in patients with tetanus. In the initial stage, the disease manifests itself as dizziness and fatigue. Then a headache, cramps and, eventually, typical tremors are added. Over the course of several months, the brain tissue degrades into a spongy mass, after which the patient dies.

The disease was spread through ritual cannibalism, namely eating the brain of someone with the disease. With the eradication of cannibalism, kuru practically disappeared.

Cyclic vomiting syndrome

Usually develops in childhood. The symptoms are quite clear - repeated bouts of vomiting and nausea. Doctors do not know what exactly is the cause of this disorder. What is clear is that people with this disease can suffer from nausea for days or weeks. In the case of one patient, the most acute attack was that she vomited 100 times in 24 hours. Usually this happens 40 times a day, mainly due to stress or in a state of nervous excitement. Seizures cannot be predicted.

Blue skin syndrome, or acanthokeratoderma

People with this diagnosis have blue or plum skin color. In the last century, a whole family of blue people lived in the American state of Kentucky. They were called Blue Fugates. By the way, besides this hereditary disease, they did not have any other diseases, and most of this family lived more than 80 years.

Twentieth century disease

Also known as multiple chemical sensitivity. The disease is characterized by negative reactions to various modern chemicals and products, including plastics and synthetic fibers. As with electromagnetic sensitivity, patients do not react unless they know they are interacting with chemicals.

Chorea

The most famous incident of this disease occurred in 1518 in Strasbourg, France, when a woman named Frau Troffee began dancing for no reason. Hundreds of people joined her over the next few weeks, and eventually many of them died from exhaustion. Probable causes are mass poisoning or mental disorder.

Progeria, Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome

Children affected by this disease look like ninety-year-olds. Progeria is caused by a defect in a person's genetic code. This disease has unpreventable and detrimental consequences for humans. Most people born with this disease die by age 13 as their body accelerates the aging process. Progeria is extremely rare. This disease is seen in only 48 people around the world, five of whom are relatives, therefore, it is also considered hereditary.

Porphyria

Some scientists believe that it was this disease that gave rise to myths and legends about vampires and werewolves. Why? The skin of patients affected by this disease blisters and “boils” when exposed to sunlight, and their gums “dry out,” causing their teeth to resemble fangs. Do you know what's the strangest thing? The stool turns purple.

Gulf War Syndrome

A disease that affected Gulf War veterans. There are several symptoms, ranging from insulin resistance to loss of muscle control. Doctors believe that the disease was caused by the use of depleted uranium in weapons (including chemical weapons).

Maine Jumping Frenchman Syndrome

The main symptom of this disease is severe fear if something unexpected happens to the patient. In this case, a person susceptible to the disease jumps up, starts screaming, waves his arms, stutters, falls, starts rolling on the floor and cannot calm down for a long time. This disease was first recorded in the United States in 1878 in a Frenchman, hence its name. Described by George Miller Beard, the disease only affected French-Canadian lumberjacks in northern Maine. Doctors believe it is a genetic disease.