We might all be so engrossed doing all the necessary precautions to prevent ourselves from the dreaded COVID 19. And with the rollout of vaccines everywhere else, some of our worries about our health have somehow subsided. But of course, that should not be the reason to let our guards down as we are still predisposed to other life-threatening conditions, such as hypertension, heart disease, stroke, cancer, and others.
On top of that, some little-known diseases are very deadly. This article aims to raise awareness about these diseases so precautionary measures against them can be done to prevent being affected and stop the spread of these illnesses.
Progeria
Also known as Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome, progeria is an extremely rare congenital condition that causes children to age rapidly. Among the symptoms of progeria includes slowed growth, narrowed face, small lower jaw, thin lips and beaked nose, head disproportionately large for the face, prominent eyes and incomplete closure of the eyelids, spotty and wrinkled skin, visible veins, high-pitched voice, and hair loss, including eyelashes and eyebrows.
The life expectancy of children with progeria is 13 years old, although some may be able to reach 20 years of age. The most common cause of death is heart issues and stroke.
Water Allergy
Water allergy of aquagenic urticarial is one of the rarest forms of urticaria, a type of hives that causes rashes on the skin after touching the water. The rashes are accompanied by itching and burning sensations. In severe cases, drinking water can cause rashes around the mouth, wheezing and difficulty swallowing and breathing. It affects older people and has only 100 recorded cases so far.
Foreign Accent Syndrome
FAS or foreign accent syndrome is a rare speech disorder where a person affected speaks with an accent from another country. People with FAS have brain damage or neurologic condition, so they are not faking their speech. This condition can be caused by traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, brain tumors, and surgery to the head or brain. FAS can be associated with schizophrenia, depression, multiple sclerosis, and dementia.
Laughing Death
Laughing death syndrome or Kuru is a rare condition only seen on cannibals of New Guinea. It is caused by eating the contaminated brain of dead people with a prion, an infected protein. Symptoms include difficulty walking, poor coordination, difficulty swallowing, slurred speech, moodiness, and behavioral changes, dementia, muscle twitching and tremors, inability to grasp objects, and random, compulsive laughing or crying.
Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP)
This is a rare genetic disorder characterized by abnormal bone development in areas where it does not usually grow. Bone replaces connective tissues, like tendons and ligaments, making a person immobilized.
Symptoms include malformations of the big toe, spontaneous flare-ups of inflammation or soft tissue swelling, increased flare-ups after injury, viral illness, or immunizations, difficulty moving, and frequent injury due to falling. A person with FOP may not be ambulatory at age 20. The average lifespan is 40 years old.
Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (AWS)
This rare neurologic disorder is characterized by distortions of visual perception, body image, and experience of time. People with AWS may see things smaller as they actually are or feel their body change in size. Other than time, sound, and perceptual distortion, a person with AWS may experience migraines and loss of coordination. It has an early onset and may disappear during early adulthood.
Porphyria
This condition is a result of chemical buildup that produces porphyrin in the body. Porphyrin is important for the normal functioning of the body. Symptoms can range from abdominal pain, constipation, nausea, muscle pain, and difficulty breathing and urination to paranoia, palpitations, hypertension, and seizure. It can be life-threatening without medical attention.
Moebius Syndrome
This extremely rare condition is characterized by complete facial paralysis. This is caused by the underdevelopment of facial nerves. A person with Moebius syndrome loses some facial expressions and eye movement.
Pica
Pica is an eating disorder affecting children wherein they eat things that are not considered food. This can be highly dangerous to one’s health if the thing has some potent chemicals. Therefore, if you notice your kid exhibiting symptoms, you should seek professional help right away.
Morgellons
It is a medically unsubstantiated, self-diagnosed disease that involves the formation of sores and fibrous materials on the skin. Until today, this condition is considered a delusional parasitosis.
While some of these conditions may not seem as serious as others, they can be life-threatening when appropriate medical attention is not sought. They affect different age groups, and so it is everybody’s concern to know more about these illnesses.