Mysterious Diseases Without Names, Causes Unknown: Symptoms of Modern Life?

Patients all over the world are denied the minor comfort of diagnoses for their illnesses—doctors are baffled by new diseases, and they have no name to give them or treatments to recommend.

The sources of many such illnesses also have not been identified. Some new illnesses may, however, be caused by the human body’s incompatibility with modern chemicals and other conditions it has not had to cope with in history. Daniel Lieberman, a biology professor at Harvard University has written about common diseases such as asthma, diabetes, and irritable bowel syndrome, that may be caused by the modern lifestyle. 

National Institutes of Health (NIH) has an Undiagnosed Diseases Program dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of new diseases. Syndrome Without a Name (SWAN) groups have popped up around the world to support people living in uncertainty with undiagnosed diseases. 

Here’s a look at seven rare diseases that have been identified in recent years, though much remains to be learned about them and the causes of some are a complete mystery. 

1. Morgellons Disease

(Screenshot/Google Images of Morgellons disease)

Morgellons disease has stoked controversy. Some claim this rare disease is caused by chemtrails. Famed environmentalist David Suzuki sums up the chemtrails idea:

“Chemtrails believers claim governments around the world are in cahoots with secret organizations to seed the atmosphere with chemicals and materials—aluminum salts, barium crystals, biological agents, polymer fibres, etc.—for a range of nefarious purposes. These include controlling weather for military purposes, poisoning people for population or mind control, and supporting secret weapons programs.”

The Mayo Clinic describes the disease as “an unexplained skin disorder characterized by disfiguring sores and crawling sensations on and under the skin. Morgellons disease also features fibers or solid materials emerging from these sores.”

It affects mostly middle-aged white women. A cluster of cases in California prompted research.

2. Pockets of Blood Under Skin:  CHST-14 Deficiency

NIH’s Undiagnosed Diseases Program discovered the first American case of CHST-14 deficiency, characterized by malformations of the thumbs and feet, as well as pockets of blood that build up under the skin.

File image of a blood blister. (Shutterstock)

3. Prune Belly Syndrome

Also called Eagle-Barrett syndrome, this condition has three main features:

1. Lack of abdominal muscles, causing the skin on the belly to wrinkle like a prune

2. Undescended testicles in males.

3. Urinary tract problems.

According to NIH, prune belly syndrome affects 1 in 40,000 births. The cause of the condition is unknown.

Continue reading here