Today, we’re checking out seven of the most puzzling , most bizarre medical conditions on the planet! Believe me when I say some of these are just straight-up peculiar and definitely uncommon. But that’s also what makes us as humans so incredibly cool. We’re all unique in our own way and you’re going to see A LOT of that uniqueness today.
7. Foreign Accent Syndrome
Coming in first on our list, a rare condition causes people to suddenly develop a foreign accent. Say What? Yes it is very much possible. For instance you may live most of your life with say an American Accent like me and then suddenly wake up one day speaking the Queen’s British or sounding French all of the sudden. It’s definitely a thing that can happen and here’s why: the disorder is caused by damage to a part of the brain associated with speech. Stroke is the most common cause, but also trauma, tumors, and other neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis may also cause patients to begin speaking with a different accent. According to Neurology experts they say typically the accent usually isn't very good or as authentic, and native speakers can usually recognize that their new sudden accent is a bit off.. Speech therapy may help, but symptoms can last years or even become permanent.
6. Strangest Medical Condition: Alice in Wonderland Syndrome
Ready to fall down the rabbit hole? What if I told you there is a condition that may just alter your reality as you know it. I don’t know if you have read this book before but in Lewis Carroll’s 1865 fantasy novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” the main character Alice experiences magical transformations, such as shrinking and expanding. Well this kind of thing can happen in real life too and without the aid of magical umm additives if you catch my drift. This neurological syndrome, also called Todd’s Syndrome, usually presents as migraines that distort the perception of size and distance. Suddenly things may be just very big, or very small, or further away than they actually are, these wild Alice in wonderland type of episodes, which can last up to an hour, and cause a patient to experience hallucinations, as well as an inaccurate sense of time passing, very slowly at times or even really quickly. So who does the Alice in Wonderland syndrome typically affect? Young children can occur at the onset of sleep.
5. Geographic Tongue
The next strange Medical Condition- Geographic Tongue. This oddly named syndrome involves psoriasis-like symptoms of the mouth, in which harmless but potentially painful lesions develop right on the tongue. Red and white patches are often surrounded by a slightly elevated yellow border, resembling irregularly shaped geographic masses on a map. Hence the name of the condition. A persons tongue can evolve into what appears to be a wild new map of the world. But don’t be fooled by the abstract design; these lesions can cause a burning sensation and irritation. So what causes Geographic Tongue? It’s a bit unknown but some experts believe that things like: stress, allergies, hormonal disturbances, nutritional deficiencies, and psychological disturbances, rare forms of arthritis, and even spicy foods could spark the strange condition.
4. Human Werewolf Syndrome
With fewer than 100 cases documented worldwide, our next unusual medical condition is called Human Werewolf syndrome. No this is not something straight out of the twilight series, that will have you battling vampires under a full moon. This uncommon genetic disorder will however lead to a lot of excess hair. Everywhere. Also Called congenital hypertrichosis Lanuginose, this condition can be caused by a rare genetic mutation that affects people regardless of sex or age. Hair growth can occur all over the body and not even laser hair removal can permanently control the excess hair growth that is caused by this disorder. Other types of acquired hypertrichosis are possible as well, which can develop later in a person’s life, and has a range of possible causes: things like poor nutrition, certain medications, anorexia, autoimmune diseases and more.
3. Fish Odor Syndrome
Some people’s odor can get a little funky after you say workout or when they perspire a lot or aren't showering as much as they should be. Well what if i told you that that one rare condition causes some people to have a rotten fish smell regardless of how often they are bathing? Yep, it's called Trimethylaminuria, and it’s an inherited metabolic disorder that is triggered by an enzyme deficiency that prevents the breakdown of trimethylamine (TMA), a chemical byproduct of protein digestion responsible for the obtrusive smell associated with decaying fish. As a result, a fishy odor is detected in the urine, sweat, and even breath of people with this syndrome. And unfortunately there is no cure, but symptoms may be reduced with a TMA-free diet that avoids foods such as legumes, peanuts, eggs, and certain kinds of fish and meat.
2. Body Integrity Identity Disorder
Sufferers of a strange medical condition called “body integrity identity disorder” (or BIID for short), who are otherwise totally reasonable or of sound mind, feel as if one of their body parts, their right foot up to the mid-calf, for example, shouldn't be there. Yep a very much healthy able limb like an arm seems horrific and alien to a person with this disorder. And the person with BIID can usually draw a line in the exact place where they desperately wish to have the unwanted body part removed. Medical experts say that BIID sufferers are missing part of their body image map in their brains. Meaning their unwanted limb is not correctly mapped onto the corresponding brain region, leaving them feeling extremely uncomfortable with it. Currently there is no cure for Body integrity Identity disorder but sometimes sympathetic surgeons will agree to amputate the emotionally bothersome uncharted limb and BIID sufferers report feeling infinitely happier. But obviously please seek medical advice and council before making any body modifications.
1. Methemoglobinemia
Do you remember the Smurf TV show back in the day, where the characters skin was a bright blue shade? Well what if I told you that this is actually a real thing. Yes a person can actually have a blue skin disorder where their skin turns a Smurf-like shade of blue. It’s all due to the blood disorder called methemoglobinemia.
Basically the body’s overproduction of methemoglobin, a form of hemoglobin, is the reason for the blue color. Instead of the typical one percent of methemoglobin in the blood, those with this disease can have up to 20 percent. And because their hemoglobin is unable to properly distribute oxygen in the body, it results in blue skin color, purple lips, and brown-colored blood. While the disorder can be inherited, it can also come about by being exposed to different chemicals and drugs.