25 Horrifying Diseases That Sound Like Something Out Of A Movie

Monster movies are escapist, fantasy fun, right? Chewing gum for the brain that's momentarily scary but ultimately harmless because they're fantasy? Hold that thought, because it turns out there are very real diseases that can make a person surprisingly monster-like. And there are diseases that are monstrous enough to seem like they're the product of an overactive imagination.

For example:

25

Vampire Syndrome Approximately one in a million people have Xeroderma Pigmentosum, which makes them AarwnhE extremely sensitive to UV rays. These peop — Source: NIH

24

Wool Sorter's Disease People who work with sheep are vulnerable to a pulmonary form of anthrax that comes from inhaling spores found in wool. It start — Source: Medical Dictionary

23

Werewolf Syndrome In the past, people with Congenital Hypertrichosis Lanuginosa (CHL) were sideshow attractions. Fedor Jeftichew, aka Jojo the Dog-fac — Source: EMedicine

22

Sleepy Sickness An epidemic of Encephalitis Lethargica swept the world in 1915. The disease attacks the brain, leaving some victims in a perpetual sta — Source: The Conversation

21

Waterhouse- Friderichsen Syndrome Neisseria Meningitidis floods your body with bacteria, causing every organ system to fail. Within a few hour — Source: NIH

20

25 Horrifying Diseases That Sound Like Something Out Of A Movie — Source: Nature

19

Stone Man Syndrome With Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP), muscle tissue, tendons, and ligaments gradually turn to bone. It spreads from the — Source: NIH

18

Rose-Gardener's Disease Roses are a source of Sporothrix Schenckii, a fungus that can kill you. If it enters through small cuts and abrasions, like th — Source: Source

17

Jumping Frenchmen of Maine In 1878, George Miller Beard noticed that a lot of the French Canadian lumberjacks in Maine were jumping and screaming at t — Source: i09

16

Sweating Sickness begins with a sense of apprehension, followed by violent cold shivers, pain, and giddiness. Next comes the sweating stage, where — Source: Encyclopedia Brittanica

15

Mucocutaneous Leishmaniasis makes your face cave in. It's spread when a sand fly bites you, then poops in the wound. The resulting parasite attacks mu — Source: Stanford

14

River Blindness is visual impairment caused by blackfly larvae. The microscopic larvae reproduce aND spread under your skin, producing an intense itch — Source: CDC

13

Water Allergy Despite the high water content in the human body, some people are allergic to water. Though it isn't a true allergy because it doesn't t — Source: NIH

12

Porphyria ooZ O0c 1900 00 1700 Porphyria may be at least partially responsible for the vampire legend. Sufferers' gums recede to give the appearance o — Source: Genetics Home Reference

11

Tree Man Syndrome Epidermodysplasia Verruciformis causes a covering of brown, scaly warts that get worse when exposed to sunlight. CRACKED COM — Source: NIH

10

Horn Player's Palsy Playing the horn can result in weakening and contraction of the facial muscles. Then the nerves become inflamed, leading to facial — Source: Trumpet Doctors

9

Dancing Plague In 1518, in Strasbourg, France, Frau Troffea started dancing in the street. After six days, others began to join in; after a week there — Source: Digital Journal

8

Cold Allergy Cold Urticaria is an allergy to cold temperatures. Exposure causes redness, itching, swelling, anD hives on the skin. Swimming in cold wa — Source: Mayo Clinic

7

Bagpiper's Fungus People who play the pipes are prone to fungal lung infections and distended stomachs. Bagpipe skins are traditionally cured with gly — Source: BBC News

6

Elephantiasis is a lymphatic obstruction that causes extreme swelling of skin and tissues, typically in the legs or testicles. Over 40 million people — Source: CDC

5

Butcher's Warts Butchers are subject to their own special malady, a variation of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). Modern medicine is still not sure why — Source: Discover

4

Brainerd Diarrhea People who suffer from Brainerd Diarrhea have to deal with 10-12 bouts per day of explosive diarrhea that lasts for months. Eight ou — Source: Oxford

3

Guinea Worm Disease Guinea Worms are spread through dirty water. Fleas in the water release larvae in the stomach. Those larvae mature into adult worm — Source: CDC

2

Alien Hand Syndrome gives a person a rogue hand that acts involuntarily. It's a rare neurological disorder, and the victim will be completely unaware — Source: How Stuff Works

1

Cotard's Delusion is a rare mental disorder in which a person sincerely believes he or she is missing body parts-such as the brain-or is actually dead — Source: Neurology

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