The weirdest diseases in the world

1.Progeria

This genetic condition is characterised by the appearance of aging associated with elderly people becoming apparent at an extremely early age. Sufferers will have wrinkled skin, brittle bones, limited growth and baldness. People who suffer from Progeria will also typically have a small jaw and nose. It is possible that Progeria may have been the inspiration to the short story “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” about a boy who aged backwards, and Progeria was also seen in the movie Jack starring Robin Williams about a boy who aged 4 times faster than normal. Because of the rarity of the disease and the short expected life span of its sufferers, there are estimated less than 100 people currently alive with the disease at any one time. There is no cure

2. Human Papilloma Virus

The Human Papilloma Virus by itself it a relatively harmless and common problem which is often symptom less or only apparent in small warts, but when combined with immune system deficiencies can result in bizarre root like growths all over the body, resembling the roots you would expect to find on a tree. This is what happened to Indonesian man Ded Koswara, dubbed the “Tree Man” who contracted the unusual version of the condition after cutting his knee. A series of operations and Vitamin A tablets have helped the problem, but Dede knows he will never have perfectly normal body.

3. Proteus Syndrome

This disease causes unusual bone growths to appear making the sufferer seem deformed. Victims to Proteus Syndrome may also suffer accelerated head growth, and this can lead to other serious health issues. An example of this disease was seen in the movie “Mask” and it is this disease that many people now believe Joseph Merrick (a.k.a. the Elephant Man”) suffered from. Despite ongoing research, no real cure has yet to be found.

 

4. Necrotizing fasciitis – the flesh eating disease

Commonly dubbed the flesh eating disease because this extremely awful ailment literally causes the layers of skin to rot away. Thankfully a rare infection, those unlucky enough to fall foul of it will experience extreme pain in the infected area, which leads to swollen, red skin and ultimately will see their skin rot away. Necrotizing fasciitis can enter the body alarmingly easily, through any cut or bruise. The only successful treatment is removing infected tissue, which often can mean amputation of limbs.