From blue skin to headaches during sex and alien hands - no, we are not describing the world's worst search history, but rather some of more than 30 rare diseases that actual humans have. And while some of them sound exotic or even downright silly (hello there, Persistent Sexual Arousal Syndrome), they all prove one thing: the human body's a wonderful machine, but also a complex machine with tons of things that can go wrong with it.
1. Water Allergy
You heard us, that exists. Sure, only thirty people in the entire world have been afflicted by it to this day, but it still happens. People who have this strange affliction break out in hives after coming into contact with water. For some reason, this can happen after giving birth.
Water allergy is also known as Aquagenic Urticaria, and people who have it can only shower once a week, and can only drink beverages like diet coke, which doesn’t have a high water content.
2. Alice in Wonderland Syndrome
This one isn’t as magical as it sounds, people with this disease (otherwise known as Micropsia) have a hard time perceiving reality as it truly is.They might think objects are smaller than they are (imagine trying to drive like that.)
They also might have trouble with hearing, feeling and even correctly perceiving their own body. This syndrome is far from the magical (and slightly creepy) adventures of Alice in Wonderland, it’s associated with migraines and it definitely messes with your head.
3. Porphyria
This disease is not for the faint of heart, or stomach! This strange case turns urines and feces PURPLE (yes, you read that correctly.)
Due to problems in the liver, very bad toxins build up in your body, making your skin break out. This is also known as the Vampire Disease, because it is caused due to a mutation you inherit from your parents and affects your blood. In fact, some say this disease is the origin of the whole vampire myth.
4. Laughing Death
This sounds like a fun one, right? WRONG. The laughing death - or Kuru - is, quite literally, deadly. The disease in neurodegenerative and causes strange tremors and tremblings, and often uncontrollable and pathological bursts of laughter.
The origins of this disease are rather horrific- as it is said to have originated in tribes in Papua New Guinea that would eat their dead as a form of ceremony. The disease was transmitted through the cooked human brain, and once this was discovered people stopped performing this ceremony, and the number of cases is near to nonexistent today.
5. Pica
You know that feeling when a cake is so good that you simply can NOT stop eating? Well, some people, people who have Pica disorder feel that way all the time, and not about a cake.
Pica is a disorder that makes you compulsively eat things that most definitely are not food. Among the most common are dirt and clay, but some people like glue, hair, and even cigarette ashes. The most commonly affected by this disease are actual kids, which, if you think about it, explains a whole lot.
6. Foreign Accent Syndrome
This one sounds like it’s come straight out of a spy movie, but I promise you, it’s real. This syndrome makes you sound like you have an accent when you’re speaking your native tongue, due to disorders in the brain.
It can happen after a stroke or other head injuries. This doesn’t mean you actually have an accent though, that’s just our human tendency to categorize everything.
7. Ehlers-Danos Syndrome
You know how you thought it would be super cool to be extra-flexible? Well, turns out it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Apparently, this syndrome causes extra flexibility in the joints, as well as fragile blood vessels, dislocations, sprains, tissue deformation, and a bunch of other pretty unpleasant symptoms.
Its caused due to a disruption of collagen synthesis and results in very sensitive skin. Sadly, there is no treatment at the moment, but with correct physiotherapy, it is largely manageable.
8. Xeroderma
Yet another disease driving the multimillion vampire industry. People with Xeroderma can’t go out in the sunlight without terrible and dire consequences of their skin and eyes.
It is a genetic disease that can’t be cured, so people afflicted by it have to take extreme protective measures if they want to catch just a little bit of sunshine, like wearing full-body suits and engulfing themselves in protective creams.
9. Hypertrichosis
Hold on to your horses for this one, or more accurately, hold on to your gurillas. Hypertrichosis is an overgrowth of hair in places where hair most definitely not usually be. Most of the time, it’s commonly found in men, but we’ve all heard of bearded women in circuses.
Though there is no treatment, we have wax, wax, and more wax to thank for allowing those afflicted with this disorder to live a full, and largely hairless life.
10. Arygria
This one looks like it’s been taken straight out of The Hunger Games. People with this disease have bluish or silvery skin. It happens because of a build-up of silver sediment in the body. Usually people who work with and around metal and silver.
Sadly, this disease is not treatable, nor is it reversible, and causes a whole lot of other damage to the kidney, liver, and digestive system.
11. Auto-Brewery Syndrome
Imagine having your own beer brewery, right in your own stomach. Better yet, imagine being in a constant state of drunkenness. Auto-Brewery Syndrome, via an excessive amount of yeast in the gut that produces ethanol, makes the people afflicted with it slightly drunk at all times.
This might sound nice at first, but it has a series of unpleasant symptoms like irritable bowels and belching, chronic fatigue, disorientation, and dizziness, kind of like a hangover...
12. Fish Odor Syndrome
Every one of us knows the feeling of incessant fear when we forget to wear deodorant. We avoid closed spaces and pray that no one will notice. Some people have it rough though, they live like that all the time.
Fish odor syndrome makes your body produce a smell resembling rotting fish through their sweat, breath, and urine. This happens because the body fails to break down a specific chemical. This is caused by a genetic mutation.
13. Fatal Familial Insomnia
We all know that the worst feeling in the world is not getting enough sleep and walking around, going about your day, feeling like a zombie. People with Fatal Familial Insomnia have a neurological disorder- a genetic degenerative one- that puts them in a constant state of insomnia.
This has long-lasting and far-reaching effects on many aspects of physiological functioning. So far, there is no cure.
14. Proteus
Proteus syndrome causes a mismatch of body parts- that is, it causes different body parts to grow at disproportionate rates and sizes. This is not noticeable at birth but begins to appear at the age of six months.
The mutation causing this disorder occurs in the womb randomly. Sadly, life expectancy for this syndrome is anytime between nine months and twenty-nine years.
15. Cold Allergy
I know it may seem like we’re all allergic to winter (seasonal depression, anyone?) but some people actually are. People who suffer from this experience an allergic reaction when coming into contact with cold air or water, just as if they were allergic to peanuts or bees.
Allergic reactions can be quite severe, including swelling of the throat. Thankfully, a simple antihistamine treatment can handle this problem.
16. Alien Hand Syndrome
This is like E.T, but just for your hand. Sometimes brain damage or neurological disorders result in the inability to control one’s hand and cause it to act and move independently.
There is no cure or treatment, but through engaging the “alien” hand in regular activity the symptoms definitely can be managed.
17. Tree Man Syndrome
This one is particularly horrific- though it looks like your skin is growing bark, they are actually warts that resemble tree bark. Tree bark syndrome is an inherited disease that makes one highly susceptible to infections caused by HPV.
Scientists currently don’t know how many people have this disorder, only 600 cases have been reported since its discovery in 1922.
18. Elephantiasis
This one isn’t that rare, more than 40 million people are afflicted with it around the world. It is transmitted through a mosquito-borne parasite (most commonly.)
It causes an obstruction in the blood vessels which leads to swelling skin and tissues, often in the limbs and testicles. Thankfully, early surgical interventions can lead to better outcomes later on.
19. Cotard's Delusion
This disease doesn’t only make you wish you were dead, it also makes you BELIEVE you’re dead. This disease is very rare, with around 200 cases around the world, yet the symptoms are incredibly extreme in all of them.
The good news is that people can get treatment for it. The not so good news is that it is very likely that attempting to cure it will be quite shocking, considering that it involves electroconvulsive therapy.
20. Exploding Head Syndrome
This disease makes you hear loud exploding sounds in your head. Usually when you wake up or go to sleep. Often people won’t believe you, but it’s a real thing. No one really knows why or how this occurs but it possibly could be caused by a sleep disorder or severe exhaustion, or even tiny seizures.
The sound itself is absolutely terrifying. Some say it might be caused by extreme anxiety and stress or sleep deprivation, so there is definitely room for interventions that could relieve the symptoms.
21. Sudden Unexplained Death Syndrome
This particular one is especially haunting. Between 1986 and 1988 a series of mysterious deaths began popping up, particularly in young men of southeast asian descent.
Almost 151,000 cases in southeast Asian refugees popped up in the United States as more and more refugees kept arriving. When the rate of immigration slowed so did the occurrence of the disease, as most cases arose about two years after the refugees’ arrival in the United States.
22. Hyperthymesia
It's some people’s dream to be able to remember every single thing that ever happened to them. Imagine that, your favorite and your best memories there in your brain, at your disposal, to watch as if they were streaming on Netflix. Some people are actually lucky enough to be able to do that. Or are they?
People who have Hyperthymesia at some point in their lives start to remember every single detail of their life, the good and the bad. This might seem extremely cool but it's actually quite taxing on the brain, as memories take up a whole lot of brain space. Though this seems incredible, there have only been twenty five recorded cases worldwide, so really there isn’t enough information to properly study the weird occurrence.
23. Mirror-Touch Synthesia
You know that game you play in drama class? Where you stand in front of a partner and mirror each other’s movements? Well this disorder takes that to the extreme. People with Mirror-Touch Synthesia actually feel the sensations that they see someone else feeling. If someone touches someone’s elbow right next to them, they’ll feel it too.
We’ve all heard of mirror neurons, those that make you feel empathy for someone else. Well, these are mirror neurons on steroids. Imagine watching an action movie with this disorder. It would literally be pure torture. Watching porn however, could be a nice experience, right?
24. Primary Sex Headaches
As unfortunate as it may sound, some people actually experience this. They have sex and get a brain-cracking headache. Some people even have it when watching porn, Some people have it pre-orgasm and some have it post-orgasm. Guess which one has more fun.
Unfortunately, in a tribute to gender inequality, this sad affliction is predominantly found in women. On the bright side (or not so bright side, depending on what you like), a way to prevent this is being on the more passive side of sexual intercourse.
25. Congenital Insensitivity
I guess we all might wish to have congenital insensitivity when it comes to stubbing our toe on the dresser or banging our head on the edge of the dresser. People with congenital insensitivity can not feel any pain, nor have they ever felt pain in their entire lives.
This is actually extremely dangerous because we need to feel pain in order to survive. In fact, lots of people with this disorder die in early childhood because they are highly susceptible to life-threatening injury, especially burns. This might be caused by way too many endorphins produced in the brain (remember? That chemical that makes you feel really really good?). Sure, not feeling physical pain is nice. But I would love to not feel emotional pain. You know, like heartbreak? Or second-hand embarrassment?
26. Electromagnetic hypersensitivity
Next time you complain about bad wifi, think again, some people get terrible headaches and fatigue, not to mention aching muscles and skin redness when they’re around electromagnetic signals such as power lines or cell phone towers. Some people are mildly affected by this, while some people experience symptoms so severe that they uproot their entire lives to get away from the source of the problem.
Though it often sounds conspiratorial, this disease is recognized by the international health community, but studies are still being conducted to better understand the link between electromagnetic signals and these severe symptoms. Much of it has still yet to be discovered. After all, Wi-Fi hasn’t been around for long.
27. Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva
This is the stuff of greek mythology. Remember King Midas turning everything he touched to stone? And Medusa turning every living thing she laid her eyes on into stone? Well this disease causes that to happen all on its own. Its caused by a mutation in the body’s repair mechanisms, so any damage to muscles and tendons will ossify them, making their joints turn to stone.
Unfortunately, any surgery or intervention will just make it worse, causing additional bone growth. Within decades people afflicted with this disease are usually rendered immobile.
28. Persistent Sexual Arousal Syndrome
No, this isn’t When Harry Met Sally, nor is it some bad medical satire. This is real. And while most people are aroused most of the time anyway, but for people with this syndrome, they don’t stop at arousal. They can have as many as two hundred orgasms a day. They have no choice in the matter, and they definitely do not have any privacy.
They simply can’t control it. It's not an emotional thing, it's purely physical. There’s no effective cure, and while it may sound rosy pink at first, I’m betting you’d get tired of it by orgasm number three.
29. Paris Syndrome
Though not as dramatic as the rest, Paris Syndrome is the feeling of severe disappointment experienced by tourists visiting Paris and discovering it's not as amazing as they expected. You might chuckle, but sufferers of this syndrome can experience severe headaches, nausea, hallucinations, and sweating.
Funnily enough, it is more common in Japanese tourists. Its so prevailing that the Japanese embassy in Paris has a twenty-four-hour hotline for supporting those afflicted by it.
30. Truman Show Delusion
Go figure, but some people are so self-centered that they believe they’re starring in their own reality tv show. Are they simply delusional or do they know something we don’t. Maybe they truly are the center of the universe?
It's unclear whether the actual movie, The Truman Show might have caused people to experience this or if this already existed, but nevertheless, there are a number of reported cases currently being studied.
31. Genital Retraction Syndrome
Koro, or genital retraction syndrome is the condition of feeling like your genitals are shrinking or disappearing or even stolen entirely. This belief is overpowering, and the hysteria surrounding it is nearly contagious. In fact, it's almost an epidemic.
It's not easy to convince afflicted people otherwise, but through extensive psychotherapy prognosis definitely improves. It is a larger cultural phenomenon, and as you might imagine, it's quite terrifying, and is often accompanied by anxiety attacks and hysteria.
32. Rapunzel Syndrome
Rapunzel syndrome, sounds super romantic, right? Wrong. Definitely wrong. Rapunzel syndrome is when someone consumes so much hair that it wraps around their intestines and internal organs.
Why do people eat hair though, you ask? Well, that’s a whole other disorder that causes people to compulsively eat hair. Some of them eat so much that hair clumps aggregate in the gut and wrap around the internal organs. Treatment includes surgical removal of the hair clump, not to mention the intensive psychiatric treatment.
33. Burning Mouth Syndrome
Those of us who, ahem, can’t handle our spicy foods, may relate to this particular one. People with Burning Mouth Syndrome experience a chronic sense of burning or scalding in your mouth, tongue, lips and teeth, with no apparent reason.
Sometimes it even leads to loss of taste and tingling sensations. Unfortunately, there is no known cause and no effective treatment and it only gets worse with time. Next time you’re eating something sweet, thank your lucky stars that you can taste it and enjoy it.
34. Dyschronometria
Whether you’re always late or whether you’re always early, you probably have it better than people who have dyschronometria. Dyschronometria is the loss of sense of time, which means that people who have it can’t accurately estimate the amount of time that passes.
Its caused by brain damage, and people afflicted by it sometimes don’t know what day it is, or even how long they’ve been in the shower (I fear for their water bill.)
35. Stendhal Syndrome
I saved the best for last. Let’s close with something beautiful, Stendhal Syndrome causes rapid heartbeats, fainting, confusion and even hallucinations after being exposed to beautiful art or nature scenery.
Although surely inconvenient, it might be a good indicator of good art. Records of this phenomenon date back to the 18th century, and many people experience it specifically when taking in Florentine art. Most recently, in 2018 a man suffered a heart attack when observing Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus”.