The skin is the largest and in many ways one of the most important organs of our body. Just imagine: dead skin particles make up two-thirds of the dust that accumulates in your home! The skin can be a source of pleasure because it has the ability to “hear” and “feel”, but at the same time it can become a breeding ground for unpleasant diseases and unusual conditions.
We want to introduce you to unusual and rare skin diseases that few people have heard of. Perhaps one day you will be able to recognize the disease in its early stages and help a loved one or even yourself.
Polio
Today it is a very rare disease that is caused by a virus and leads to paralysis.
During the disease, the gray matter of the spinal cord is affected and leads to pathologies of the nervous system. Most often it is asymptomatic and less often in an erased form. If the virus enters the central nervous system, it multiplies there and leads to muscle paralysis. Back in the nineties, 36 countries around the world publicly declared that they had defeated this disease and it had been completely eradicated, and since 2002, not a single similar case of the disease has been reported in Europe. And only 4 years later it was internationally recognized that this disease no longer existed throughout the globe, but in some countries cases of polio still occur to this day.
Thanks to mandatory vaccination, this is now an extremely rare viral disease. It affects mainly residents of developing countries with poor healthcare. The polio virus attacks the motor neurons of the spinal cord, leading to muscle wasting and flaccid paralysis. It occurs with high fever and extremely high mortality.
Most survivors remain disabled for life. Treatment of rare diseases like polio is a rather complex process. It's easier to prevent diseases.
Cutaneous and intracerebral myiasis - lack of hygiene is fatal
Myiasis is the infection of living beings by fly larvae that live on the tissues and body fluids or intestinal contents of the host. Usually the larvae attack animals or people in tropical areas, but in Europe there are also cases where the larvae enter the human body. In most cases, this is due to lack of personal hygiene, for example among homeless people.
Fly larvae get under the skin in different ways: for example, in a muddy or dirty body of water, through dirty clothes or blood-sucking insects. Some types of flies also lay larvae in open wounds or body openings such as the nose, ear and eye. The larvae feed on the host, eating it from the inside. Fortunately, the larvae can be removed relatively easily in most cases, and the affected skin must then be cleaned and disinfected.
Progeria
The history includes 80 cases of the disease. The cause of the disease lies in a genetic defect. The peculiarity of the disease is that it cannot be cured, so a person must accept it and continue to live.
The main characteristic of the disease is premature aging of the entire human body. All patients have a short and at the same time painful life. This is the main reason why progeria is on the list of the most terrible diseases of mankind.
The most famous among the progeria patients was a black guy. He was a DJ and video blogger. Died at 26 years old. At the age of 12, a child with progeria syndrome may resemble a ninety-year-old man. Patients are characterized by a lack of hair and small body size.
It affects one child in 8 million. This is one of the rare cases of genetic defects.
This disease proceeds as follows - the skin and internal organs age prematurely, by the age of thirteen, sick children look like old people. The body acquires all the symptoms of senility.
They tried to treat this disease with growth hormones, as well as antitumor drugs, but all measures were unsuccessful. Such patients always died when they reached no more than 20 years of age.
Progeria causes gene mutations, but is not inherited. To date, more than 80 cases of this disease have been recorded in the world. Most often it affects white-skinned children.
It is a rare genetic disease that manifests itself in unnaturally rapid aging of the body. There are pediatric and adult versions of the disease. Statistics report one case in four million. The pathology of the disease repeats the picture of natural aging, but accelerated many times.
Sick children age 10-15 years within a year of life. Such rare diseases bring a lot of trouble. You can see photos of patients in this article.
The first symptoms of childhood progeria become noticeable by the second or third year of the baby’s life. At this time, the child stops growing, his skin becomes thinner, and his head becomes very enlarged. Adult progeria debuts at the age of 30-40 years.
Bottomless eyes. Aniridia and Distichiasis
Eyes are considered one of the most beautiful parts of the human body. They were sung in countless different songs and poems. Each of us would like to make our eyes a little more expressive and beautiful, and we have all at least once envied those whom nature has awarded with an extraordinary color, eye shape, or at least gorgeous eyelashes. Well, some people are really lucky with their eyes - but others paid for their beauty with a terrible disease.
Traditionally, eyes of a deep dark color are considered very beautiful and rare. But sometimes one can only sympathize with the owner of bottomless black eyes, because such an unusual appearance feature can be caused by a disease - aniridia. This is a rare genetic disorder in which a person has no iris. Aniridia is accompanied by photophobia, severe visual impairment, cataracts and congenital glaucoma.
When it comes to full eyelashes, the genetic lottery sometimes gives out bonuses, rewarding some people with an extra row. We are talking about distichiasis - a rare mutation that is characteristic not only of people, but also of animals, in particular some breeds of dogs. If a person is lucky, then eyelashes from the “bonus” row will only add beauty to the look. The most famous owner of double rows of eyelashes was Hollywood actress Elizabeth Taylor. But more often than not, this “gift” turns into sheer torment for the owner, causing itching, irritation, corneal injury and inflammation. Imagine the sensation of getting an eyelash or speck of dust in your eye. Now imagine that you experience this continuously. There is only one way out - remove excess eyelashes. Fortunately, modern technologies can rid a person of unwanted hair anywhere, even on the eyelids.
Temporary blindness
Melbourne resident Natalie Adler suffers from an unusual condition. Every three days the girl goes blind, that is, she literally cannot open her eyes due to severe muscle spasms. The cycle repeats every three days. This first occurred after a sinus infection complicated by a staph infection.
Since then, Natalie has had to plan her life in such a way as to have time to get everything done during the “sighted” period. “My 18th birthday fell on a blind day, but on my 21st birthday I saw everything and my friends threw me a huge party!”
Fields disease
This disease has been described only once in the history of medicine, so it has not been studied at all. It affected two twin girls named Fields, who lived in Wales.
Scientists have suggested that this disease is of hereditary origin and is expressed in the gradual impairment of muscle function, which simply leads to limitation of movement over time. The disease progresses, and patients find themselves in a wheelchair.
Perhaps the rarest disease in the world. In the entire history of medicine, only one such case with two patients has been described. The ill children were twin sisters named Fields, living in England.
The disease manifests itself as a gradual loss of control over voluntary movements due to a defect in muscle tissue. As the disease progresses, patients become increasingly dependent on the help of others and a wheelchair, and completely lose the ability to move independently.
Smallpox - defeated by scientists
Historians call this disease “the greatest genocide in human history.” Smallpox is a highly infectious disease caused by the smallpox virus. The paradox is that it can be cured without drugs if the immune system is strong, but if it is weakened, the person will die.
Typical symptoms include high fever, body aches, rashes, and numerous painful and scary blisters that eventually become scars. Only by 1977 was the disease defeated. It is also the first infectious disease to be eradicated from humans worldwide.
Paraneoplastic pemphigus
There are several types of pemphigus - a dermatological disease with an autoimmune nature (Autoimmune diseases are a class of diseases in which lymphocytes begin to attack their own, healthy cells of the body). Its paraneoplastic variety is the least common, but very dangerous.
There are many types of pemphigus today, but a very small number of patients suffer from paraneoplastic pemphigus. At the same time, the disease is considered rare, dangerous and fatal.
This disorder is a hereditary autoimmune disease, during which it is observed that blisters appear on the mucous membranes of the mouth and other parts of the body. After they burst, weeping areas remain on the body, which are open gates for infection.
A large percentage of patients with this diagnosis die from blood poisoning or a malignant tumor that this disease provokes. .
Sincerely,
April 7, 2013
Although ordinary pemphigus is a fairly common disease, pemphigus, which is based on a paraneoplastic process, affects a small number of patients. The disease is extremely dangerous and potentially fatal. A particular difficulty in correct diagnosis and treatment is the differential diagnosis with ordinary pemphigus. The disease is based on an ongoing malignant process.
Trichotillomania
Trichotillomania is a special form of alopecia (an extreme condition in which a person loses hair) caused by neurotic problems. People suffering from this disease begin to pull out their hair until they are left bald. Sometimes hair falls out only on a small area of the scalp, so patients often assume that this problem is caused by an inflammatory process. But if you look closely, you can notice new short and healthy hair in this area, which means that this problem has nothing to do with the physical condition. Trichotillomania does not cause hair loss, but it does cause a person to deliberately pull out their hair. Therefore, a consultation with a psychotherapist will be more beneficial for the patient than a visit to a trichologist.
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Progressive fibrodysplasia
On average, one child in two million people is born with this diagnosis. It is one of the rarest and most painful diseases in the world. In total, in the history of medicine, 700 cases of fibrodysplasia have been recorded, when in a person any tissue begins to degenerate into bone.
In progressive fibrodysplasia, bone tissue grows uncontrollably at the expense of adjacent muscle tissue. The pathological process is most often triggered by injury, even the smallest one. Moreover, surgery is not an option. If you cut out the ossified area, this will provoke a new focus of bone growth.
Fibrodysplasia is a genetic disease that is inherited and until recently had no cure at all. In 2006, a group of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania discovered the gene responsible for this mutation. Since then, work has begun on gene blockers in the ACVR1/ALK2 gene.
Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva is a very rare, practically incurable disease that occurs in approximately 800 people worldwide.
It causes disruption of the tissue repair system and turns the affected muscles, ligaments and tissues into bones.
New bones do not have flexible joints and when they begin to grow throughout the body, the person practically stops moving.
Removing newly formed bones only makes the problem worse and causes uncontrolled bone growth.
In severe cases, the person becomes completely immobilized.
Aquagenic urticaria - the most uncomfortable
The so-called “water allergy,” which is actually not a true allergy but a form of hives, is an abnormal skin reaction to water. Those suffering from this terrible disease experience severe discomfort in everyday life: they cannot come into contact with water, even tears and sweating cause redness, itching and huge blisters on their skin.
Showering, drinking or sweating can cause allergic shock in a person suffering from such an illness, which can be fatal. After drinking, blisters or pustules may form in the mouth and throat, and inflammation of the mucous membranes may occur. Some patients can only drink milk. Showering and personal hygiene is also a complex topic: a person must weigh how much water they can use to cleanse their body without causing serious skin reactions.
Allergy to electricity
Doctors are still debating the nature of the disease that plagued the character from Better Call Saul, starring Bob Odenkirk. Some doctors believe that allergies to electromagnetic fields have psychosomatic roots. One way or another, there are more and more people complaining of headaches and deterioration in health when turning on electrical appliances.
In some regions (Africa, Australia, South America) such a problem has not even been heard of, but, for example, in Sweden, electromagnetic allergies are officially recognized: 2.5% of the population suffers from it.
Sometimes the syndrome takes on such acute forms that patients are forced to flee into the wilderness. In the state of West Virginia, USA, there is an Internet-free “reservation”. On its territory, Wi-Fi is prohibited at the legislative level due to the giant radio telescope located nearby. Any signals may interfere with its operation. About 200 people with hypersensitivity to electricity came to the district for permanent residence.
The first cases of the disease began to be recorded after electrical and electronic devices became an integral part of human life. When in the zone of influence of the electromagnetic field, patients complain of deterioration in health, ringing in the ears, headache, and nausea.
Some patients have to completely abandon household appliances.
Despite the fact that rare diseases affect a small number of people, medicine continues to search for new treatments. Many countries have special programs that actively study the rarest diseases in the world.
Kuru disease
Kuru is guaranteed to be fatal. First, a person begins to have a terrible headache, immunity decreases, and a runny nose and cough appear. Then the nerve cells responsible for coordinating movements are affected, so the patient ceases to control the movements of the limbs, and he is seized with insane trembling. In 9–12 months, brain tissue turns into a spongy substance, and the person dies. But the majority die earlier - from associated complications, infection or pneumonia.
Kuru disease is found only among the Fore tribes of Papua New Guinea. For a long time, the tribe practiced a frightening funeral custom - women and children ritually ate the brain of the deceased.
As the American doctor Carlton Gaidushek found out in the 50s of the 20th century, prions - harmful protein structures contained in brain tissue - are to blame for the disease. Once the Fore were weaned off ritual cannibalism, the Kuru disease almost disappeared.
This disease is caused by prions, molecules that are even simpler than viruses but have some of the characteristics of living organisms and are infectious. The disease was known and widespread in New Guinea.
It is interesting that ritual eating of the human body was widespread there. Such patients experience disorders of the nervous system, resulting in death.
After the government of this state took measures to combat cannibalism, signs of the disease were no longer observed. .
An extremely rare but very dangerous contagious disease. The infectious agent is prions, which are proteins with an irregular spatial structure. Once in the body, the prion moves to the brain. There, the infectious agent disrupts the spatial structure of neighboring proteins, leading to programmed cell death. And in place of dead nerve cells, voids are formed - vacuoles.
The disease is accompanied by severe disorders of the nervous system and inevitably leads to death. Kuru was common in New Guinea among cannibal tribes, and infection occurred after the ritual consumption of human brains.
Currently, cannibalism has almost disappeared, and the number of new diseases is extremely small. It's good that such rare diseases do not occur often.
Find a list and description of the rest below in the article.
Necrotizing fasciitis is the most terrible and terrible disease
This disease is caused by streptococci, which are fairly common bacteria. They usually cause conditions such as sinusitis or tonsillitis and are relatively harmless. About a third of the population have these microbes in their bodies, but they do not cause any diseases.
Unfortunately, streptococci also have some subspecies with serious drug resistance. A prime example is MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which is resistant to antibiotics. With minor damage to the skin, the pathogen can enter the human body: for example, during an insect bite or any damage to the mucous membrane.
In the first stage, a person experiences nonspecific and relatively harmless symptoms such as fever and body aches. But then the infection progresses at breakneck speed: the affected areas of the skin swell, become red or purple, and begin to form blisters. Later, the skin, subcutaneous tissue and muscular connective tissue may completely die in the damaged areas. The tissue becomes necrotic, meaning it dies and decomposes.
There is only one treatment for this terrible and terrible disease: the infected tissue must be removed as soon as possible: otherwise, the disease can lead to larger infection of the skin and tissues, and subsequently death within a short time. But that's not all: rotting is sometimes accompanied by blood poisoning, which can lead to death from multiple organ failure even sooner. Photos of this terrible disease are terrifying.
Trimethylaminuria, or fishy odor syndrome
Fishy odor syndrome causes a disorder in the FMO3 gene, which causes the liver to lose its ability to break down odorous trimethylamines into their odorless oxides. As a result, this substance accumulates, and its excess comes out with sweat, through the pores of the skin. A person spreads a fetid cloud around himself; he may not smell it himself, but those around him inevitably move away from a patient with such a diagnosis.
Doctors do not yet know how to “fix” FMO3, and advise poor souls who smell fishy to exclude eggs, legumes, all types of cabbage, and soy products from their diet, as well as take activated charcoal daily and wash more often.
Microcephaly
A sign of this disease is a decrease in the size of the skull, and accordingly the brain, while other parts of the body remain normal in size. Microcephaly is accompanied by mental deficiency from imbecility to idiocy.
The main causes of this disease are considered to be exposure to radiation on a pregnant woman, as well as genetic disorders. Such children survive, but their brains cannot develop normally even with intensive correction.
This disease is characterized by a disproportionately small skull in the newborn. Low brain mass leads to severe mental disability and irreversible developmental delay. Babies born with this pathology, as a rule, survive, but remain idiots, and at best, imbeciles or morons.
The main factor contributing to the birth of a sick child is the exposure of a pregnant woman to radioactive radiation, as well as genetic factors. Such rare diseases of children require a lot of courage and patience from parents.
Mycetoma (Madura foot)
Mycetoma is a fungal infection that is most often found in Africa, India, and Central and South America. Symptoms include swelling of the feet and legs
, although the disease can spread throughout the body.
Later, pus may begin to come out of the swollen parts of the body. As a rule, the condition is not painful
, so patients often do not immediately seek medical help.
There is currently no cure for this disease, and in severe cases it can lead to limb loss. However, the disease can be avoided if you keep your hands and feet clean, especially when in the field or outdoors.
Analgia
Congenital insensitivity to pain occurs due to a mutation in the SCN9A gene and is quite common in children under 2 years of age. But there are cases - several hundred for the entire population of the globe - when immunity persists into adulthood. Patients with analgia are significantly more likely to suffer a burn, fracture, or sepsis.
Steven Peet from Washington, like his twin brother, knows firsthand about the insidiousness of this syndrome. “I was 6 years old, I was roller skating, I fell and heard my mother scream.
I look and a bone is sticking out of my leg. I didn’t feel anything,” he recalled.
As a child, he broke his left leg almost every month, until the guardianship authorities removed the children from the family, suspecting violent acts. The parents had to spend a lot of time, effort and eloquence to prove their innocence.
Due to constant injuries, Steve developed arthritis by the age of 30. The fate of his brother was much more tragic. Doctors promised that in a couple of years he would be confined to a wheelchair. After this, the young man committed suicide.
Stendhal syndrome
This mental disorder manifests itself when the patient visits exhibitions and museums where objects of art are displayed. Manifests itself in the form of anxiety, dizziness and high blood pressure. In some cases, hallucinations are even possible.
The syndrome was officially recognized in 1972, after the Italian psychiatrist Magherini described many identical cases of the disease among tourists visiting exhibitions and museums. In some patients, similar reactions are caused by listening to classical music.
Exploding head syndrome
The disease is characterized by auditory hallucinations; patients hear various noises and explosions in their heads. As a rule, such phenomena occur when preparing for bed or during sleep, as well as immediately after waking up.
Auditory hallucinations are also accompanied by vegetative-vascular changes; in patients, blood pressure rises and sweating increases. In some cases, in addition to acoustic effects, visual effects are also observed, in the form of a beam of bright light.
Scientists suggest that the impetus for the disease is stress and prolonged mental overstrain. Most often middle-aged and elderly women are affected. Effective therapy for the disease has not yet been developed due to its rarity. Patients are advised to eat well, spend more time walking and not overexert themselves.
Porphyria (vampire disease)
As a result of a genetic malfunction, the skin of patients is extremely sensitive to ultraviolet radiation. From sunlight, the skin begins to itch very much, burst, and become covered with weeping ulcers and scars. Inflammation affects not only the surface of the skin, but also cartilage tissue. The ears, nose and nails become bent and look like the claws of an animal.
Patients prefer to leave the house at night, when there is no sun. Rare human diseases cause discomfort for patients and the people around them. But at the same time, it is very important not to despair.
Top 10 most terrible and terrible diseases in the world
Some of the most terrible and disgusting diseases of people include:
- Necrotizing fasciitis is a terrible tissue damage.
- Locked-in syndrome is the worst thing for mental balance.
- Prion diseases are an incurable disease.
- Aquagenic urticaria is the worst allergy.
- Cutaneous and intracerebral myiasis - hygiene is important.
- Smallpox is the most terrible virus of the past.
- Epidermodysplasia verruciformis is the rarest and most unpleasant disease.
- Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva - stone people.
- Xeroderma pigmentosum is a terrible vampire syndrome.
- Alien hand syndrome is a terrible neurological disease.
