I'm not a hypochondriac. I am, however, fascinated by obscure, strange conditions, syndromes, and disorders. People often don't know how to act or what to say when they encounter someone afflicted with a disability or a visible, unfamiliar illness. I think a large part of their discomfort comes from lack of knowledge and awareness. I don't like to not know. There are no pictures, only descriptions, but consider this your trigger warning.
Apotemnophilia (aka Body Integrity Identity Disorder [BIID])
Otherwise sane people feel as if one of their body parts — their right foot up to the mid-calf, for example — shouldn't be there. The limb seems horrific and alien, and they can usually draw a line in the exact place where they desperately wish to have it removed. BIID sufferers are missing part of their body-image map in their brains. Their unwanted limb is not correctly mapped onto the corresponding brain region, leaving them feeling extremely uncomfortable with it. In instances when a sympathetic surgeon has agreed to amputate, BIID sufferers report feeling infinitely happier.
Pica
An undeniable urge to eat non-food, often as a result of stress, mineral deficiency or pregnancy. The disease has many sub-categories, some weirder and more dangerous than others, to describe people who eat chalk, feces, glass, mucus, paint, body parts, hair, urine, wood and more. A pica patient in Missouri had 1,446 metal items (from nails to salt shaker tops) surgically removed from her stomach. She died of blood loss during the surgery.
Morgellon's Disease
Sufferers feel as if there are things crawling, biting and stinging them below the surface of their skin. Their constant urge to scratch results in insomnia and terrible skin lesions. In 2012, the CDC issued the results of a multi-year investigation of the unexplained condition; they found that patients had no actual disease organisms under their skin, and suggested their sensations were manifestations of "delusional infestation" — a false feeling of being infected by parasites.
Cotard Delusion (aka Walking Corpse Syndrome)
Belief that one is dead or non-existent at all, despite evidence to the contrary. People wake up one day and think they have died, that they no longer exist, or that their flesh is rotting off. The physical cause: The brain region involved in facial recognition has become disconnected from the regions involved in emotion. When the person looks in the mirror, they recognize themselves, but they don't have the usual emotional response. Their appearance has lost its association with their sense of self, and this cognitive dissonance results in the sense that they do not exist, or have died.
Prosopagnosia (aka Face Blindness)
A neurological disorder characterized by the inability to recognize faces.
Capgras Delusion
Psychiatric disorder in which a person holds a delusion that a friend, spouse, parent, or other close family member (or pet) has been replaced by an identical impostor.
Musical Anhedonia
The specific inability to experience pleasure from music.
Amusia
The inability to process pitch altogether.
Lazurus Effect
Effect caused from stimulation of a spinal nerve in which – even in non-responsive comatose patients – the arms fly up and cross at the chest.
Alien Hand Syndrome (aka Dr. Strangelove Syndrome
Condition causes a patient's hand to take on a life of its own and act on its own accord.
Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (aka Todd's syndrome, lilliputian hallucinations)
Symptoms include hallucinations, disorientation, dysmetropsia, and size distortion. Patients often experience distorted body proportion of certain body parts -- often the head and hands – perceiving them as larger than they are or should be. Most common during childhood, usually grown out of it within their teens.
Histoplasmosis
A fungal infection acquired from the bat guano that lined the upper reaches of a nearby cave. (Spelunkers)
Riley-Day Syndrome
A rare congenital insensitivity to pain that leaves people unable to feel pain, often dying early as a result of treatable injuries they simply fail to notice. Babies born with pain insensitivity bite off the tips of their tongues, break their bones without making a fuss, and get corneal damage after neglecting to brush foreign objects out of their eyes.
Kluver-Bucy Syndrome (aka Sex Maniac Disorder)
A syndrome that may present with compulsive eating, hypersexuality, insertion of inappropriate objects in the mouth (hyperorality), visual agnosia, and docility. Results from bilateral lesions of the medial temporal lobe (including amygdaloid nucleus), typically caused by accident or illness such as hypoglycemia or Alzhiemer’s.
Palinopsia
A visual disturbance defined as the persistence or recurrence of a visual image after the stimulus has been removed. (Greek: palin for "again" and opsia for "seeing")
Ageusia
This rare condition leaves the victim without the sense of taste. Extremely uncommon (you’re more likely to lose the sense of smell).
Ehlers Danlos Syndrome
EDS is a collagen deficiency. Faulty loose-connective tissue manifests in various ways (muscular and skeletal, in the joints, hyper-elastic muscles, vision/heart/brain problems. 6 main types, and people who suffer from the first three types may only have hyper-flexibility and loose skin. Type IV is Vascular EDS – life expectancy of 48.
Exploding Head Syndrome
Affecting thousands around the world. Symptoms of the disease are what sounds like a bomb exploding, a gun firing off, a clash of cymbals, or another form of loud noise within one’s head while trying to sleep. There are no symptoms of pain, swelling or any other physical aspect, however. Most common in individuals over 50, but reported in people as young as 10.
Necrotizing Fasciitis (aka Flesh-Eating Disease)
This rare infection occurs within the deeper layers of skin and subcutaneous tissues. Skin becomes discolored and blistered, and a discharge of fluid is present, accompanied by intense pain and severe trauma. Surgery is the only treatment. Mortality rates are as high as 73% if left untreated.
Menkes Disease
Affects the level of copper within the body, leading to a deficiency. This recessive disorder is far more common within males, though females are capable of getting it too. Symptoms tend to begin later in childhood in rare cases. Weak muscle tone, sagging facial features, seizures, blue sclera, and brittle hair are the most common symptoms of Menkes. Treatment includes symptomatic and supportive, though injections of copper can benefit the patient.
Lymphatic Filariasis (aka Elephantiasis)
Caused by a parasitic worm. Cases of the disease have no symptoms at first, though individuals ultimately develop massive amounts of swelling in the arms, legs, or genitals. Skin becomes thicker, and pain can occur. Treatment is available in some cases, including antibiotics to deal with infection.
Epidermodysplasia Verruciformis (aka Tree Man Illness)
Extremely rare and genetic. Patients feature an abnormal, red-brown macules on the face, neck, and body. Some cases feature lesions limited to only one extremity. Unfortunately, no serious treatment for EV has been found, though excision tends to be the best option available.
Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (aka Stone Man Syndrome)
This rare disease is found within the connective tissue of the body, and is known as a mutation of the body’s repair mechanism, causing fibrous tissue to regrow as bone when damaged. Sufferers are slowly imprisoned by the skeleton within their own body. No known cure.
Polydactylism
Extra fingers or toes on the body. Surprisingly common, affecting one out of every 500 newborns. The extra finger or toe tends to be nothing more than soft tissue with no bone.
Argyria
Disease caused by too much exposure to chemical compounds of silver. The worst symptom of the disease is the skin turning blue or a bluish-grey. Large areas of the body are affected by the disease, though some areas can be localized, such as in patches of skin. A laser is said to help for silver ingestion, though some have died from the disease.
Proteus Syndrome (aka Wiedemann Syndrome)
Causes skin overgrowth and atypical bone development within the human body. Tumors tend to cover the majority of the body of those afflicted. Teams of doctors in Australia have tested a drug to help patients affected by Proteus Syndrome, which has been found to be an effective treatment option.
Hypertrichosis (aka Werewolf Syndrome)
The growth of hair over the majority of the body. There are two known types: generalized, covering the entire body; and localized, covering a specific area. There is no cure, however, but you can manage the symptoms in patients. Temporary hair removal can last from several hours to several weeks.
Porphyria
A rare group of inherited or acquired diseases that should help in the production of porphyrins and heme. Abdominal pain, vomiting, neuropathy, and mental disturbances tend to be the most common symptoms. The origin of vampires is said to come from Porphyria, as patients have trouble facing the sunlight. There is no cure, though treatment for each disease within the group is possible.
Leontiasis Ossea (aka Lion Face Syndrome)
Incredibly rare syndrome characterized by an overgrowth of the facial and cranial bones. Technically, Leontiasis Ossea is not a disease itself, but a symptom of other diseases combined. The increased size of the face hinders the abilities of the mouth, nose and its sinuses. Complete loss of sight is common, as the optic nerve is crushed by bone.
Progeria
This rare disorder resembles aspects of aging, and manifests at an early age. Skin changes, abnormal growth, and loss of hair are the most common symptoms of Progeria. No treatment has ever proved to be effective, unfortunately. Most treatments simply focus on reducing any problems those afflicted are experiencing instead. Incredibly rare, occurring in only 1 per 8 million births.
Hailey-Hailey Disease
Known for the blisters and lesions that appear on the victim’s skin. These usually come and go, but heal without any scarring. After puberty, those with Hailey-Hailey Disease will begin to notice the blisters and lesions occurring on the surface of their skin. Symptoms can develop at any age, however. Unfortunately, there are no antibodies to fight this genetic disease.
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (aka Broken Heart Syndrome)
Temporary condition where the heart muscle becomes suddenly weakened or ‘stunned’. The left ventricle, changes shape and enlarges, affecting the heart’s ability to pump. Symptoms are chest pain, breathlessness or collapsing, similar to a heart attack. In some cases, people may also suffer palpitations, nausea and vomiting. Often the condition is temporary and reversible. The condition can develop at any age, but typically affects more women than men.