10 weird medical conditions that you won't believe are true

www.livescience.com

Ritu Singh

It's indeed a strange world that we live in. There are some uncanny things in this world that are hard to believe. The myriad ways in which human mind and body works is often hard to decipher at times. Here we are talking about the weird and little-understood medical conditions that have baffled specialists and researchers all over the world and still continues to do so. Unfortunately there is no known cure-all treatment for the people who suffer from these conditions. Let's take a look at some of the rare and bizarre medical conditions:

Walking Corpse Syndrome

Also known as Cotard’s Syndrome, it is a neuropsychiatric disorder (mental illness) in which a person believes that he/she is dead. The affected person is under the delusion that he or she does not exist as a person and also denies the existence of this/her soul, organs, blood, or certain body parts.

Foreign Accent Syndrome

This is also a rare condition which causes people to develop a foreign accent. Such people uncontrollably speak in a foreign accent, even if they have never visited that area before. Speech may be altered in terms of timing, intonation, and tongue placement so that is perceived as sounding foreign. Experts believe that the disorder is caused by damage to a part of the brain associated with speech.

Stone Man’s Disease

Also known as fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) , it's one of the most rare and abnormal disease of the connective tissue. This disease fuses the body's muscles and joints into solid bone i.e bone tissue begins to grow where muscles, tendons, and other connective tissues should be. Slowly, the body hardens so much that they can no longer move and ultimately turn into a sort of statue.

Alice in Wonderland Syndrome

Named after Lewis Carroll’s 1865 fantasy novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” it is a syndrome of distorted space, time and body image. This neurological syndrome, also called Todd’s Syndrome, usually presents migraines that distort perception of size and distance. The sufferer actually feels that his/her entire body or parts of it have been altered in shape and size.

Human Werewolf Syndrome

Known as cognital hypertrichosis lanuginose, the condition is caused by a rare genetic mutation characterised by uncontrolled excessive and abnormal hair growth covering the body. Faces can be completely covered in long hair, which is why the condition has earned the nickname of “werewolf syndrome.” There are only about 50 people in the world with the condition.

Alien Hand Syndrome

Also known as Dr Strangelove Syndrome, the disease is named after the title character in Stanley Kubrick's 1964 film, Dr Strangelove. This condition involves uncontrollable hand or limb movement over which the individual has absolutely no discretion. The hand takes on a life on it's own and acts independently, grasping objects or moving in a way contrary to what the individual wishes to do.

Water Allergy

Aquagenic urticaria, or water allergy is a rare condition which affects one in every 230million people. This allergy triggers a painful skin reaction when the skin comes into contact with water. The affected person has to steer clear of water at all times, so he/she cannot bathe, go out in the rain, sweat, cry and most importantly drink plain water. The underlying mechanism behind this syndrome is still not understood.

Rapunzel Syndrome

The syndrome is named after the long-haired girl Rapunzel in the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. This rare intestinal condition compels people to eat their own hair. The person compulsively eats, chews on, or sucks his/her hair. Enough of it gets swallowed that it starts to accumulate and develops into a trichobezoar (hairball) in the stomach.

Parry Romberg Syndrome

This is a rare disorder more common in females characterized by slowly progressive deterioration of the skin and soft tissues of half of the face. This condition causes half of a person’s face to shrink, causing an asymmetrical appearance.The eye and cheek of the affected side may become sunken and facial hair may turn white and fall out.

Progeria

 If you have seen the 2009 movie Paa starring Amitabh Bachchan, you will know which condition is talked about here. This is an extremely rare, progressive genetic disorder that causes children to age rapidly. Such children rarely live to be older than their teens.