This is no static-electricity effect. It’s an actual disease — Menkes disease — that results from copper deficiency, causing hair to stick straight up and frizz. People with kinky hair disease are usually diagnosed during infancy and suffer from bouts of seizures and abnormal body temperature.
Those diagnosed with this syndrome can naturally look like kabuki actors in a the classical Japanese dance drama known for its elaborate make up. The majority of people diagnosed have involuntarily eye movements and intellectual disability. Thankfully this syndrome is rare, affecting about one out of 32,000 newborns.
Blue skin disorder (or argyria) is a harmless phenomenon that occurs when people are exposed to silver compounds or chemicals causing them to develop abnormal blueish-gray pigments in their skin. Most of those affected are workers who inhaled large amount of silver over a long period at factories. There is no known cure for this strange discoloration. Most of those with the condition live to be past 80 years. And who said that an apple a day would keep the doctor away?
Those who inherit the disease porphyria have neurological (yet very real) issues with their skin tissues that give them symptoms eerily in common with vampires. When exposed to sunlight or bright light, people with vampire disease complain about feeling burning sensations on their skin. Many of those with the disease experience extreme stomach pains and change in skin colors, usually to purple.
Remember the time you entered the kitchen to get something, only to say to yourself “what did I come in here for?” before scratching your head and walking away confused? If this is familiar, you might have a touch of busy life syndrome. People are constantly subjected to computers, cell phones and TV. Experts say prolonged exposure to technology causes memory loss. So next time you forget where you put your keys, blame it on the Internet.
Gesundheit! It’s exactly what it sounds like. You might have this syndrome since one out of three people experience this phenomenon. ACHOO syndrome (an acronym autosomal dominant compelling helio-ophthalmic outburst) occurs when people’s eyes are exposed to strong sunlight, causing them to feel prickling sensations in their noses and sneeze.
This harmless condition causes those diagnosed to have strange map-like markings on their tongue. However, it’s not a condition you are born with, but you can randomly inherit it at any age. So if you wake up one morning and see the map of Venezuela on your tongue, don’t fret, this won’t kill you.
The stinkiest disease known to mankind is fish odor syndrome. Those affected have to deal with this embarrassing side effect of having their own body odor or breath reeking of rotting fish. There are several ways a person can acquire this horrible syndrome including being born with gene mutations or developing increased bacteria in the kidneys or liver.
People with this syndrome are disoriented about their actual size and shape. This syndrome is purely neurological and many sufferers also experience confusion over their sense of time and touch. There has been speculation that the author of “Alice in Wonderland,” Lewis Carroll, suffered from this syndrome and wrote the book based on his experiences.
People with this disorder have uncontrollable impulses to jump for no good reason. It is considered a form of Tourette’s syndrome. The name was coined when a suspicious number of people were diagnosed in a region of Maine, confusing doctors into thinking this was local condition.
This disorder is actually named after neurosurgeons Walter Dandy and Arthur Earl Walker. A malformation begins in infancy in the brain and the fluids surrounding the cerebellum, resulting in an enlargement of the skull and slow motor development.
Ever hear of a silly story where someone accidentally knock themselves unconscious, only to wake speaking in a different accent? Well, it’s not folklore but a true condition called foreign accent syndrome. This rare situation occurs when a person suffers a head injury and starts speaking in a different accent. In some rarer cases, the patient will wake up and speak a whole different language, despite never learning this language.
Alternatively known as Cotard delusion, this condition is a mental illness where people believe they’re dead. This syndrome makes those diagnosed feel zombie-like, sad, and feeling a sense of doom at all times. There have been reports of some anti-depressant medication that successfully turned this illness around.
It’s tinnitus meets your worst nightmare. Those who suffer from exploding head syndrome report hearing loud banging, clanging or a sensation of a bomb going off in their heads, even if the room is very quiet. This auditory hallucination can cause seizures and heart attacks due to dramatic stress on the body.
Jeeper creepers! This neurological disease causes people to have bizarre beliefs that their bodies are infested with parasites or bugs that aren’t there. Although the sufferers have nothing physically wrong with them, some use bleach to disinfect and rid themselves of imaginary parasites.
