The strangest medical cases of 2024

We’re almost at the end of 2024, and that can only mean one thing: another deep dive into the strangest medical conditions that have us gasping, gasping, and groaning in abject awe this year.

Case studies are an important part of medicine, because they can sometimes be the first evidence of a new discovery. But they also serve as a never-ending reminder that the human body can get weird or have strange things happen to it in all sorts of ways. Here are some strange medical points published in scientific journals or that made the news in 2024.

The most vaccinated man in the world

In March, scientists in Germany published A study features a man who claimed to have received more than 200 coronavirus vaccines over the course of two years. German authorities claimed that the man originally continued to be vaccinated to secure vaccination cards that could then be sold to others, although they eventually declined to pursue fraud charges. However, by the time researchers contacted him, he may have really liked getting his vaccinations, even choosing to receive two more vaccines on his own during the study.

The researchers found no sign that the man had been harmed in any way by his mass vaccinations, and even found some evidence that his immune system was better protected against the coronavirus than average. Perhaps the most convincing evidence is that the man had no reported history of coronavirus infection – a rarity in today’s world. However, as the researchers astutely point out: You don’t need more than 200 doses to get the most out of coronavirus vaccination. Only a few will do.

Losing your courage

Two separate cases of people literally busting their guts out made waves this year.

in one case, Last May, a 63-year-old man sneezed and coughed up his gut through a recent surgical site that included his abdomen. The man’s breakfast and shirt were ruined, but paramedics were able to safely transport him to the hospital and he recovered without any problems. the Another case It was originally published in September 2022 but only became available online in January 2024. It’s about a 52-year-old woman whose coronavirus-induced cough caused her bowels to come out of an old hernia repair surgery site. She was hospitalized, but was also successfully eviscerated.

Abdominal surgeries are known to be a risk factor for evisceration, but remain rare. However, maybe for the foreseeable future I will panic a little every time I sneeze.

Hairy condition

Just in case you were wondering, hairballs aren’t just a problem for cats.

In July, surgeons from Ecuador I mentioned He pulled a two-pound hairball out of a young woman’s stomach. Doctors in Massachusetts reported that they were treating themselves Hairball case Last November, it included a 16-year-old girl who suffered for weeks with worsening stomach pain and other gastrointestinal symptoms.

These conditions are examples of Rapunzel syndrome, a rare medical condition in which a mass of ingested hair becomes large enough to block the stomach and possibly the small intestine. Rapunzel syndrome can be life-threatening, although both conditions are detected in time before this occurs. The cause is often the psychological compulsion to pull out one’s hair and eat it.

The trinis

In October, doctors in the United Kingdom I mentioned A medical marvel doubled as a great pub story: A man has not one, not two, but three penises. Perhaps the most surprising detail in this case is that the man himself may have never known about his unique anatomy. The man’s accessory reproductive organs were inside his body, and his external penis was visible and functioning normally. Scientists only discovered his condition after his body was donated to science for cadaver research. It is the second case ever recorded of someone with three penises – a condition called triphallia – and the first to be discovered in an adult man.

The furry threat

As a cat parent, I can attest to the many benefits of owning a cat. But sometimes, these cats can cause bouts of medical misery.

Last May, for example, doctors in Portugal detailed how a little girl was developing Rare bone infection From a little kitten embraced by her family. Earlier this past February, Oregon health officials announced I mentioned A woman in her 50s contracted a rare case of plague that was likely transmitted from her recently ill cat. In both cases, the patients appeared to have made a full recovery, although the Oregon woman’s cat died from the infection.

Although these cases are stranger than most, they are an important reminder that cats are still animals and can be potential vectors of infectious diseases. If you’ve been bitten and scratched by a cat, so are you Always should Immediately wash the wound with soap and water for five minutes (do not rub), then clean it with an antiseptic, and seek medical care if you notice any signs of infection. In the case of plague and some other germs, cats and the fleas they carry can spread the disease, so flea prevention is also important.

Migraine headache caused by brain worm

It’s the most Florida man story possible: In March, doctors in the state I mentioned On a man who had been suffering from severe, recurring headaches for several months due to a parasitic invasion of the brain: the pork tapeworm (Taenia solium).

Formally known as neurocysticercosis, this condition is caused by tapeworm cysts. These cysts cannot mature into full-grown adults but will migrate to different parts of the body, including the brain. Their presence in the brain can sometimes trigger a harmful immune response that causes a wide range of neurological symptoms, such as seizures and migraines. In this particular case, the man may have gotten a typical tapeworm infection from eating undercooked bacon, and then reinfected himself with the cysts due to not washing his hands properly after going to the bathroom. The man was treated with steroids and anti-parasitic medications, which helped reduce his symptoms. last Known brain worm survivors Prosperous as well.

Toilet problem

Some stories start out badly and somehow get worse. In January, doctors in Canada described A man in his 70s was bitten by a rat that entered his toilet bowl. The man subsequently developed a life-threatening infection due to the sting, which led to him being transferred to the intensive care unit. The mouse had given the man the bacterial disease leptospirosis, which made the condition even more bizarre, because this bacteria is normally found in a mouse’s urine, not its saliva. As doctors would tell, the rat may have first smeared its mouth with bacteria-saturated urine before biting the man — a real insult to injury scenario if I’ve ever heard one. Fortunately, the man was successfully treated with antibiotics, but who knows if he will be able to use the toilet again without feeling lurking fear.

Burning margarita

Here’s one reason to limit your drinking during your day. In December doctors detailed A curious case of phytophotodermatitis, aka “lemon disease,” aka “margarita burn.” The man developed a nasty rash and blisters on his hands a day after he manually squeezed lemons and spent the day out watching football. Phytophotodermatitis is caused by exposure to a class of chemicals commonly found in plants and fruits known as furanocoumarins, followed by exposure to ultraviolet A radiation. Furocoumarins are absorbed into the skin and make it sensitive to UV rays, resulting in an inflammatory reaction that destroys skin cells.

Unfortunately, there is no existing treatment that can speed up the healing process of calcific disease (not to be confused with… Lyme disease) – Victims simply have to wait days or even weeks for the condition to go away on its own. The man was given a topical steroid cream and lubricant to relieve his symptoms, and his hands eventually returned to normal.

Strange wall

Honestly, I would love to detail all the strange medical cases that have happened this year, but we all have families to go back to. So this is a brief ode to some honorable mentions.

There is the man who saw The world is in pink After orgasms. The woman who He became blind (Temporarily, praise be to God) from using hair dyes; the discovery From an autoimmune disorder that prevents vitamin B from reaching the brain; The two men who arrested A Fatal fungal infection of bat guano which they have used or plan to use as fertilizer for their local hemp; The woman who was arrested Parasitic pneumonia Whoever eats deer meat; Family reunions where people caught up Parasitic worms From contaminated bear meat (maybe people should stay away from game meat in general?).

Great eel escape

Few cases have haunted us at Gizmodo quite like this next one.

In July, doctors are in Vietnam I mentioned A two-foot (61cm) long eel was pulled from a man’s intestines after he inserted it up his anus – but not before the eel began chewing through his innards.

The man visited the emergency room with severe abdominal pain. Once there, he told doctors that he had willingly inserted an eel into his anus, although he refused to provide a specific reason for this (as is often the case with these cases, although it may have been sexually related). He somehow made his situation worse by shoving a lemon in there, ostensibly to keep the eel at bay. But the slippery passenger was not cooperative. By the time doctors operated on the man, the eel had reached the abdominal cavity by biting through the intestine. The man survived his ill-advised experiment, but not without losing part of his colon.

Remarkably, this was actually the case The second case of butt snakes It was reported by doctors in Vietnam this year, although the other case involved a shorter eel, measuring 12 inches (30.5 cm) long.

Hopefully nothing in 2025 will come close to the baffling strangeness of these two incidents. Eh, who am I kidding: the weirder, the better.