10 strange medical conditions that are definitely worth fearing (11 photos)

It's very easy to drive yourself crazy these days. You just have to start studying different diseases and disorders. And find similar symptoms in yourself.





It doesn't matter what symptoms you find. They will all definitely point to some terrible disease. By the way, if you delve deeper into the topic, you can find a solid number of ailments that are not too terrible, but are definitely strange and frightening.

1. Sleeping sickness or lethargic encephalitis



The disease was first described in 1917 by Austrian psychiatrist and neurologist Constantin von Economo. It causes sudden inflammation of the brain, turning people into living statues that can neither move nor speak. Even those who survive remain in a state of constant lethargy, often sitting in one place all day and not saying a word.

2. Arnold-Chiari Malformation





A prolapse of the cerebellar tonsils into the foramen magnum, compressing the medulla oblongata. This occurs when the skull is too small or malformed and presses on the brain, causing it to protrude into the spinal canal. This malformation has been known to cause people to have difficulty sleeping, but fortunately it can be corrected with surgery.

3. Pure alexia or alexia without agraphia



Word blindness is one form of alexia that makes up the peripheral dyslexia group. People with pure alexia have severe problems with reading, while other language skills such as naming, oral repetition, listening comprehension, or writing are usually not affected. Such people cannot read, despite being able to recognize and name individual letters. It usually occurs after strokes.

4. The Jumping Frenchmen of Maine



These were lumberjacks in the 1800s who suffered from a rare and unknown disorder. They would obey any command given out of the blue, no matter what it was. No one knows exactly what causes it. People with this disorder may make sudden movements in all parts of their body. Jumping Frenchmen syndrome shares some symptoms with other startle disorders.

5. Cotard's Syndrome or Walking Corpse Syndrome



Some people live their lives believing that they are literally zombies. People suffering from it are convinced that they are already dead and rotting, or that they do not exist. It can be caused by traumatic brain injury and is treated with antidepressants, antipsychotics, and mood-stabilizing drugs.

6. Wendigo Psychosis



Characterized by an intense and uncontrollable urge to eat human flesh, even when other food sources are available. The disease is said to have originated and died out in the Algonquian tribes of North America, but many are skeptical that it actually exists, believing it to be more of a cultural syndrome related to the myth of the cannibal spirit of Algonquian mythology.

7. Hypersexuality



It may seem like a harmless increase in sexual desire, but it is an obsession that causes a person to have an uncontrollable desire to have sex. Like any other addiction, it can take over a person's entire life and make him forget about everything else.

8. Parry-Romberg Syndrome



Causes one side of the face to literally sink inward due to shrinkage and degeneration of the tissues beneath the skin. This cannot be reversed, but surgery can help restore a more or less normal appearance.

9. Argyrosis



People who work in silver factories are at risk of swallowing or inhaling silver particles, which can lead to a condition called argyria or argyrosis. This causes the skin to turn blue. It is not life-threatening, but the color does not go away after exposure stops.

10. Alien Hand Syndrome



A complex neuropsychiatric disorder. It is as strange as its name suggests, as it causes a person's limbs to move on their own. People with this condition often have no control over the limb's actions, and sometimes even have to hold it with the other hand. It can occur after brain surgery, stroke, infection, tumor, aneurysm, and degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer's.