There are a lot of terrifying diseases that are out there. Some of them are infectious, others are genetic but all of them have extremely unpleasant symptoms and consequences.
In this article, we have collected five of the truly terrible diseases that you might not know about which can cause fatty tumors or ongoing pain which is stronger than pain during childbirth. Although medicine is changing all the time and new treatment advances can reduce the aggressiveness of many of these conditions, they still however remain incurable.
1. Adiposis Dolorosa
Adiposis dolorosa (Derkum's disease or Anders disease) is a rare disease that is accompanied by generalized obesity and painful fatty tumors in the adipose tissue which increase in size. It usually occurs in obese women between the ages of 35 and 50. Tumors, known as lipomas, can appear throughout the body but most often occur on the torso, buttocks, arms, and legs. They cause severe burning or cutting pains that can last for hours.
The causes of Derkum's disease are currently unknown. Surgical removal of tumors or liposuction is possible and will somewhat relieve the patient's condition.
2. Postherpetic Neuralgia
Postherpetic Neuralgia is a condition caused by the reactivation of the herpes zoster. One in five people who have had herpes zoster will experience postherpetic neuralgia. Although this condition is not life-threatening, it can be quite exhausting.
The main symptom of postherpetic neuralgia is intermittent or continuous nervous pain in the area previously affected by herpes. Typically, patients describe it as burning, stitching, shooting, pulsating pain, or similar to current discharges. The exact causes of this disease, as in the first case, are unknown, however, doctors suggest that it occurs due to old age and weakened immunity.
3. Trigeminal Neuralgia
Trigeminal neuralgia is a chronic disease manifested by attacks of shooting pain in the face which, according to WHO, affects more than a million people around the world. Pain can last from several minutes to several hours and even days, and it is so unbearable that pain management doctors often call this type of neuralgia the most painful of all.
Trigeminal neuralgia occurs as a result of disruption of the trigeminal nerve, the innervation zone of the face which causes the nerve to react painfully to any stimuli, whether it is talking or eating. There is currently no cure for trigeminal neuralgia since even strong pain medications such as morphine don’t help relieve pain. On the other hand, scientists are sure that some surgical methods can help but studies on this subject have not yet been conducted.
4. Sickle Cell Anemia
Sickle cell anemia is a genetic disorder that occurs due to a violation of the hemoglobin protein structure. In the case of this disease, hemoglobin acquires a special crystalline form. The disorder is accompanied by the formation of abnormal red blood cells in the form of a sickle which causes excruciating pains.
Since the defective gene becomes the cause of sickle cell anemia, a person can have the disease without manifestation of any symptoms from birth up to a certain point. The main symptom is the sickle cell crisis. This is pain that can begin suddenly and last from a few hours to a week. Fortunately, painkillers can help relieve this type of pain.
Sometimes sickle cell anemia can become fatal. People with a severe form of the disease usually live from 40 to 60 years but modern medicine is slowly but surely increasing their average life expectancy.
5. Cancrum Oris
Cancrum Oris or Noma is an infectious disease that is most common among African children suffering from malnutrition. It destroys soft and hard tissues in the face causing gangrenous lesions and has an extremely high mortality rate of up to 90%. But even those who manage to survive become disfigured due to Noma. Proper nutrition and good hygiene can prevent Cancrum Oris. Also, the disease can be stopped with antibiotics when the infection has already begun, but this, alas, is quite rare.