Rare Diseases

Rabies is a virus that is most commonly spread to humans via the bite of an infected animal. The animals most often afflicted with rabies in the United States are bats, skunks, coyotes and...

Roundworms are parasites that can infect animals like dogs and cats. These worms lay eggs inside your pet, which hatch and absorb nutrients from the food your pet consumes. This can cause your pet...

Over 100 different diseases and conditions can affect the liver of infants and children. Some of these diseases are unique to babies, while some are caused by inflammation and others are genetic....

Minamata disease is a rare condition caused by the effects of pollution of the Minamata Bay in Japan. The condition first appeared in 1956.

There are several conditions and diseases that may contribute to body odor. Liver problems can be inherited or occur due to a virus or from exposure or ingestion of chemicals. If liver problems...

Bobble-head doll syndrome is a very rare movement disorder that appears during childhood. It is typically associated with abnormalities in the third ventricle region of the brain and usually can...

Landau-Kleffner syndrome is a condition that typically plagues children and causes a gradual lessening of their ability to both use and understand verbal language.

Whipple's disease often occurs in the gastrointestinal system, but it can also affect major organs, including the brain and heart. The disease, which develops slowly, only affects 1 out of a...

People have used quinine to treat malaria throughout the world for centuries. More recently quinine has been used for the treatment of leg cramps, although this is currently unauthorized by the...

There are approximately 4,200 cases of Kawasaki disease in the United States each year, according to the Kawasaki Disease Foundation. Although the name of this condition that primarily strikes...

Rabies is a viral disease that infects both wild and domestic animals, such as bats, dogs, skunks and raccoons. The virus is transmitted through saliva, and is commonly contracted through bites...

Fructose is a simple sugar found naturally in many foods, such as honey, berries and fruit. It also contains high amounts of sucrose, or common table sugar, which is used in many treats and...

Sometimes, once the symptoms of menopause have subsided, a woman finds herself at the doctor's office complaining frequent and severe headaches. In such instances, after extensive testing, she...

Sickle cell anemia is a disease that affects the red blood cells (RBC) and causes them to become abnormally shaped. For instance, instead of the RBC being a circular shape they sickle or form a C...

Rabies, a zoonotic viral infection, can affect most warm-blooded mammals. Unlike with many viruses, the medical name of the rabies virus is identical to its common name.

Cheilitis is any medical condition involving an inflammation of the lips. A variety of maladies can induce cheilitis in humans. It can be a side effect or an indicator of a deeper problem.

Aluminum is used in a number of cooking utensils, including pans, pots and utensils. However, the consumption of aluminum can harm humans; that's true even if only a small amount is ingested.

Although most of the time, grey hair is a symbol of aging, occasionally patches of grey hair can be seen in young people, even children. If your child exhibits grey hair, there are several...

The extremely rare condition of vanishing bone disease is sometimes called Gorham's disease, after L. W. Gorham who joined with A. P. Stout in describing the condition in an October 1955 issue of...

Morgellons disease is a strange and controversial condition that gained lots of media coverage in the early 2000s. Sufferers report bizarre and wide-ranging symptoms, with the most notable being...

I started having really bad dizzy spells and didn't know the cause. No doctors could tell me why. I had many different MRI's and tests, that the doctors basically told me it was all in my head. Do...

Paliperidone or Invega is a prescription medication used to treat schizophrenia. Despite its effectiveness, Invega is not for everyone as it presents several risks for side effects and...

Fibromyalgia is a condition in which excruciating pain is felt in sufferers' muscles and joints. This condition remains a medical mystery, and a cure has yet to be discovered. In the medical...

Rabies is a serious viral disease that can lead to death if left untreated. It's a zoonotic disease (one that can be passed from animal to human) and affects both domestic and wild animals. It's...

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurological condition more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. ALS attacks nerve cells in the body that are responsible for voluntary...

Rabies is a deadly, but preventable, disease that is specific to mammals. The vast majority of cases are transmitted through the bite of an infected animal. According to the U.S. Centers for...

Tuberculosis, which was once known as consumption, is a serious infectious disease characterized by serious lung damage that can potentially spread to other parts of the body and even result in...

Toxemia is a condition that can cause death for both the mother and child because it often occurs during pregnancy. It is identified by a sudden elevation of blood pressure causing arteries to...

Cirrhosis of the liver is scarring that occurs due to chronic abuse of the organ. The liver is a gland that secretes bile and filters out the harmful toxins from drugs and alcohol. This is why...

Tuberculosis, also known as TB, is a bacterial disease that infects the lungs and other parts of the body. It is transmitted through the air and occurs in every part of the world. Although it is...

Anthrax is a serious condition that may result when humans come in contact with Bacillus anthracis bacterium. Humans may be exposed to anthrax through indirect of direct contact with infected...

Hansen's disease is a rare bacterial disease that affects the skin, nerves and upper airway of diseased patients. Also known as leprosy, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states...

Typhoid bacillus, or Salmonella typhosa, is the bacterium that causes typhoid fever. The disease has existed for more than 2,000 years and about 400 cases are reported annually in the United...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says rabies kill thousands of people every year, though the disease is completely preventable by vaccination.

The biological effects of nuclear radiation can be devastating to human and animal life. Humans who are exposed to nuclear radiation can experience radiation sickness, also referred to as acute...

Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) is a rare disease that can be contracted by humans from rodents, specifically by inhaling dust contaminated by infected rodent droppings, urine or saliva. HPS...

Adrenal suppression is occurs when the adrenal glands fail to produce a sufficient amount of adrenal hormones. There are two types of adrenal suppression disorders: primary adrenal insufficiency...

Amyloid is an abnormal protein produced in bone marrow and that can be deposited in any part of the body (localized amyloidosis) or can be widespread, affecting tissues in various parts of the...

Scleroderma, a group of chronic autoimmune disorders, is relatively rare, affecting roughly 300,000 Americans, according to the website of the International Scleroderma Network. The disorders...

Human heartworm disease is a very rare illness. Unlike similar disease in canines and cats, however, the heartworm that can affect humans does not take up residence in the heart, but instead roots...

Hemochromatosis is the term used for iron overload, which means an excessive amount of iron in the body. Hemochromatosis can be difficult to diagnose because the symptoms closely resemble many...

Rare blood infections occur when rare types of bacteria enter the bloodstream and overrun the immune system. How the infection enters the body and its symptoms depend on the kind of bacteria...

Tethered cord syndrome is a neurological disorder in which the spinal cord can't grow normally. The spinal cord stretches farther than it should, and this results in blood vessel, nerve cell and...

Prune belly syndrome, also called Eagle-Barrett syndrome, is a rare birth defect that occurs in the womb as a baby is developing. It is defined by three abnormalities: no abdominal muscles, an...

Ancient physicians dealt with a strange disease which seemed to fog the minds of their patients while it racked their bodies. Drawing from the Greek word for "smoke" or "haze," these physicians...

In the mid 19th century, a British surgeon dissected a deceased inmate named George Elt who displayed peculiar symptoms, namely a set of malformations localized to one side of his body. The...

Even with advancements in medical technology and science, many diseases still have fatal outcomes, and are yet to be fully studied. Some of these diseases affect infants and young children....

According to the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA), myasthenia gravis is a chronic neuromuscular, autoimmune disorder that can cause weakness to voluntary muscles of the body. Muscles...

Infections of parasitic roundworms are fairly common throughout the world. They are more popular in poverty-stricken areas, but in fact, they can cause health problems just about anywhere....

Catatonic schizophrenia is a mental illness that causes patients to have an altered and skewed perception of reality, also known as psychosis. It is a type of schizophrenia that involves a...