Pica, elephantiasis and the fish smell syndrome
Do you have the flu or do you have a cold and are you complaining about it? After reading this article probably not anymore, because you would only have one of the following conditions! We have listed a number of strange diseases for you.
Pica
With the rare disease Pica, people have an craving for products that are not normally seen as edible. For example, think of scouring pads, paper or clay. The cause of the disease is unknown so far. The condition is very dangerous, because not everything that patients consume, the intestines can handle. There is also a chance that they will poison themselves.
Werewolves Syndrome
People with hypertrichosis, or werewolf syndrome, have excessive hair growth all over the body. This genetic abnormality is very rare and only occurs in a few families around the world. In India there is a family in which three sisters suffer from the syndrome.
fishy odor syndrome
Trimethylaminuria (TMAU), more commonly known as fish odor syndrome, is a genetic disease in which urine, sweat, and breath smell like rotten fish. There is no effective treatment for the condition, but people with the disease can still lead relatively normal lives by avoiding certain foods, such as eggs and legumes. A low dose of antibiotics can also help to reduce the number of bacteria in the stomach.
Morgellons disease
People with this disease suffer from complaints such as joint pain, fatigue and especially a lot of itching. They also constantly have the feeling that dozens of critters are tickling under their skin. Remarkably, patients claim that fibrous threads come out of the itchy areas. Scientists are so far baffled.
Treeman
Much has been written about the tree man in Indonesia, Dede Kosawa. When he was 15 years old, Kosawa fell to his knee. Then it slowly began to resemble a tree. His hands and feet turned into a kind of carrots. After 20 years, he got help from an American dermatologist, Dr. Anthony Gaspari. He discovered that Kosawa was infected with the human papilloma virus (HPV). Many people are infected with this virus and at most get some warts from it, but Kosawa also appears to have a very rare genetic defect that makes him look like a tree. In the meantime, the Indonesian has been treated and operated on several times and he has been released from his ‘tree appearance’.
Harlequin Ichthyosis
A genetic skin condition in which babies are born with checkered, scaly skin. The condition gets its name from the fact that the skin is divided into diamond-shaped scales, reminiscent of a harlequin’s checked suit. Most babies born with this condition have dehydrated, hard skin that resembles fish scales. They often die soon after birth from infections or dehydration.
elephant disease
In this disease, officially called lymphatic filariasis, limbs grow to enormous proportions that resemble an elephant’s body. One or more parts of the body are swollen and the skin becomes coarser. The disease is caused by a parasitic worm. It enters the human body through mosquito bites. The worm settles in the lymphatic system, which disrupts the fluid balance. The disease is fairly treatable. The condition is rare in Europe, but as many as 130 million people worldwide suffer from this condition. But scientists are so far with their research that they expect the disease to be eradicated in about ten years.
Sources):
