CONTENT
1. PHYSICOLOGICAL DISEASES 1.1 Tourette Syndrome ............................................................... 1.2 Alien Hand Syndrome........................................................... 1.3 Insomnia ............................................................................... 1.4 Narcolepsy …........................................................................ 1.5 Munchhausen Syndrome ………...………………………… 1.6 Alice in Wonderland Syndrome ……………..…………….. 1.7 Pica......................................................................................
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2. PHYSCIAL DISEASES 2.1 CIPA ..................................................................................... 2.2 Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) ...………………………………. 2.3 The New Vishnu ……………………………………………….. 2.4 Wolfman ............................................................................... 2.5 Porphyria ..............................................................................
10 12 14 15 16
PSICOLOGICAL DISEASES SOME IDEAS ABOUT TOURETTE SYNDROME Neurological disorders are diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system. These occur by structural, biochemical electrical anomalies in the brain, spinal cord, or in the nerves that connect between them. They can produce paralysis, muscle weakness, poor coordination, loss of sensation, seizures, confusion, pain and altered levels of consciousness. There are many neurological disorders, some relatively strange, among them we can find one disorder called Tourette Syndrome. It is necessary to know what is the Tourette Syndrome, what are their symptoms, how it develops, and how Tourette Syndrome is treated. First, the Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary movements and vocalizations called tics. Although, it is very difficult to identify what occurs in the brain, the experts think that this disorder is presented by problems of communication between nerves in the brain, which are produced by the imbalance of chemical substances called neurotransmitters (dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine) in the brain that carry nerve signals from cell to cell. Other studies show that TS is a genetic disorder, in other words, it is the result of a change in genes of inherited type or a disorder occurred during fetal development. The TS has different symptoms which depend on the complexity grade of this disorder. Tics can be classified as simple or complex. The first are repetitive movements that include a few muscles such as eye blinking, facial grimacing, head or shoulder jerking and phonic tics such as grunting sounds, which are produced by moving air through the nose, mouth, or throat. The second group involves several muscle types, this kind of tics include facial grimacing combined with a head twist and a shoulder shrug, hopping, jumping, bending, or twisting. On the other hand, the stronger tics are produced when people harm themselves, and vocals tics when people say swear words or they repeat the words or phrases of others. Tics are often worse with anxiety and decrease during calm activities, but they donâ€&#x;t disappear during sleep. Furthermore, TS develops in different ways and it changes over time. TS can begin with little motor tics that eventually can turn into tics that involve a bigger group of muscles, at the beginning there can be tics in the head and neck area and may progress to include muscles of the trunk and extremities, continuing with more complex vocal tics. Most patients present more severe symptoms when they are teenagers, but these begin to decrease in the
early adulthood; however, there are some cases of people affected with this syndrome, and its most severe form even in adulthood. Finally, there are some ways to treat the TS although it is impossible that the symptoms disappear. Most of the people don't require medication for tic suppression because the tics don't cause impairment, but in other cases when the disorder is more complex it is necessary to use many medications to reduce a little the symptoms, but with several side effects. Unfortunately, there is no medication that is helpful for all people with TS, or that can completely eliminate symptoms. In conclusion, Tourette syndrome is a strange neurological disorder that can affect anyone during fetal development or to inherit it. A lot of investigations show that it can be associated with other disorders in the brain. Although, nowadays the scientists and doctors cannot explain some questions that arise from this topic. The investigations will continue in process to understand the human brain's behavior and the disorders that can occur in it. Moreover, It is very important to know more about what is the Tourette syndrome to know what are it symptoms, how it develops, and how it is treated, and thus to have a broader understanding of this syndrome.
By Carolina Le贸n Salinas
ALIEN HAND SYNDROME Alien hand syndrome is a rare neurological disorder. It normally afflicts people with surgically separated brain, it also occurs in some cases after brain surgeries, strokes or infections. In this affection one hand functions involuntarily, the victim is unaware of his action, normally the people feel the hand isn‟t under their control. In this article I‟m going to explain what are the symptoms, subtypes and treatments. I will speak below about the most important symptoms of alien hand syndrome. Such as: lack of awareness of arm movement or actions, lack of control over arm movement and inability to feel control over hands and movements. The person with the syndrome can feel a normal sensation in the hand, but he believes that the limb is not part of his body, and they have no control over the extremity. Some people don‟t discover their disease until their hand does something that captures their attention to its behavior. Other people can think that they are possessed by some intelligent alien or spirit; for example, one hand tries to put a cigarette in their mouth and the other hand pulls the cigarette out of his mouth, so the people think that they are possessed by a spririt that wants to remove the addiction. The different type of alien hand syndrome appears according to the affected part of the brain. The first is the Corpus callosum, it‟s related with the letf-hemisphere in which the two hands are directing opposite purposes. The second is the frontal lobe, this can trigger in other purposeful movements, for example, the hand starts to use functionally one objet, but that movement is involuntary and the person can‟t stop using the object, the person needs to use his other controlled hand to release the affected hand. The third is the parietal and occipital lobes, they are associated with damage to the parietal lobe and occipital lobe, the movements tend to remove the palm surface of the hand away from contact with the objects instead of touching the objects like an “instinctive avoidance”, this kind of affection shows a less coordinated tendence. Although, there are not known treatments for alien hand syndrome at this time, the symptoms can be reduced and managed keeping the alien hand busy in a task. Specific learned tasks can restore voluntary control of the hand; for example, one patient with the alien hand can use a cane to hold in the alien hand while is walking, although he really does not need a cane. Another approach, is when the patient is trains to do a specific task in this way he learn to generate voluntary movements; for example, the alien hand is trains to touch something to avoid the involuntary movements, this action permits a re-organization of premotor systems and learn an action that will predetermine the reactions. All in all, the alien hand syndrome is a disorder in which one hand functions involuntary, there are three kinds of affections depending on the affected brain area, in some cases the symptoms are difficult to recognize anyway it‟s possible to control the involuntary movements training the affected alien hand.
By Luz Angela Castelblanco Lozano
INSOMNIA Insomnia is one of the most common sleep disorders. There are various classifications of insomnia, according to the duration of the disorder, according to the severity and according to the time when it occurs. In this article we're going to explain the effects in our body, in our daily routine and the origins of insomnia. Most of the effects depend on the type of insomnia you have. Major effects include fatigue, irritability, and you may have trouble concentrating. These symptoms have negative effects on your health if you don't get enough rest or sleep because the next day your body or your brain won't function at 100%, you will feel very tired and your movements will be slower. In our daily routine not sleeping can affect us a lot. When we're not in a good mood and we can not tolerate some things we do every day, we will feel tired and the body does not respond well when we don't meet the exact hours of sleep. We can consume caffeine, nicotine and alcohol, as these are central nervous system depressants and can facilitate sleep onset. Insomnia can have different origins. Stress is one of them because of problems or concerns on employment, family, depression, anxiety, changes in shift work, excessive or unpleasant noise, uncomfortable room temperature or bad eating habits; Out of the all the other secondary medical and psychological causes of insomnia, anxiety and depression are the most common. In conclusion, we can avoid this disease, we need to sleep very well at night, when you have problems you need to try to concentrate and leave your problems in aside, but if you have this disease you can consume caffeine, nicotine and alcohol to facilitate your sleep.
By Nataly Ca単on Rodriguez
HAVE YOU SLEPT IN INAPPROPRIATE TIMES? Have you slept in inappropriate times, such as while at work or at school or maybe in middle of a meeting? It is probable that you are having a strange disease called Narcolepsy. It is a chronic sleep disorder, characterized by an excessive urge to sleep in any moment of the day, maybe even in the middle of a conversation. Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder caused by the brain's inability to regulate sleep-wake cycles normally. A normal sleep cycle is a segment of Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) sleep followed by a period of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. A Narcoleptic generally experiences the REM stage of sleep within first ten minutes, whereas a normal person experience REM sleep appears after 80 to 100 minutes, creating these principal symptoms, Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS), Sleep paralysis and Cataplexy. EDS is the symptom most consistently experienced by almost all patients. That is describe as a persistent sense of mental cloudiness, a lack of energy, a depressed mood, or extreme exhaustion. They fall asleep for a few seconds while performing a task but continue carrying it through to completion without any apparent interruption; sometimes they may store items in bizarre locations and then forget where they placed them. The temporary inability to move or speak while falling asleep or waking up is called Sleep Paralysis. It may last a few seconds to minutes by which the individual may experience panic symptoms, in addition, that may be accompanied by terrifying hallucinations and an acute sense of danger. Cataplexy is a sudden loss of muscle tone that leads to feelings of weakness and a loss of voluntary muscle control. The most severe attacks result in a complete loss of tone in all voluntary muscles, leading to total physical collapse in which patients are unable to move, speak, or keep their eyes open, cataplexy attacks make patients fall or drop things, it can have serious effects on normal activities. Narcolepsy is a dangerous disease because if the episode occurs while you are driving an automobile or operating other types of potentially hazardous machinery, you may have an accident or cause serious problems in a person's social, personal, and professional life. If you have had these symptoms you must pay attention to your sleep habits; If I give you advice I think it is better if you visit the doctor who you trust.
By Neil Vladimir Pi単eros R
MUNCHHAUSEN SYNDROME
Munchhausen Syndrome is a psychological disorder that is characterized by pretending diseases or feeling aches without being true; in general this disorder is most common in mothers with children. These mothers are very intelligent and know a lot about medicine for that reason they can manipulate the symptoms of her children until to going to the Hospital and make children be subjected to surgeries and strong treatments when there aren´t sick. It is important to know the principal symptoms, types and consequences to help identifying the children that are victims and avoid their death. In most of the cases, the mother is the principal suspicious to induce the diseases to the child. It is also very frequent to find children with these diseases in homes without father. Patients who suffer from this disease present many symptoms. A recent study shows that this disease presents more than one hundred symptoms, the most common are stomachache, vomit, scours, weight loss, fever. Other symptoms that the children present are: The child symptoms are very strange and don´t fit in any clinical record or classical diseases, the clinical condition of the child gets better in the hospital, but when mother and child arrive home the symptoms re-appear again. There are two types of this disease. First Infant Munchhausen Syndrome (SMI), in this case is the child who invents the diseases, this is common in child between ten and fifteen years old. Second Munchhausen Syndrome by Powers (SMP), in this case the child is a victim, generally the mother is who manipulates the symptoms. There are a lot of impacts in children who have suffered this abuse. In many cases they present psychological problems as eating disorders, behavioral problems and emotional disorders. In some cases the boys present more perturbations those girls. In most cases they present physical problems. This disease is very difficult to diagnose, in the past the doctors had to install hidden cameras to find information that provided the causes of those strange symptoms, they found the true: the mothers were altering the medical tests and sometimes putting urine into the recipients. Also this disease is very dangerous and can be fatal, in some cases the doctor many times has to act like a detective to discover these problems to help the patient´s family.
By Adriana Galeano López
ALICE IN WONDERLAND SYNDROME It`s a disorienting neurological condition which affects human perception, so the people have a problem or size distortion of the things. As a temporary condition, it is often associated with migraines, brain tumors, and the use of psychoactive drugs. Anecdotal reports suggest that the symptoms of Alice in Wonderland Syndrome are fairly common in childhood, it is also a common experience when sleep starts because the most common time to experience the symptoms is at night. In this article, you will know which are the symptoms, possible causes and diagnosis, and how we can help people in these circumstances. The most prominent and often most disturbing symptom is that of altered body image. The sufferer will find that they are confused with the size and shape of parts of the body. The parts usually concerned are the head and hands. The second major symptom is the distortion of visual perception. The eyes are normal, but they see objects with the wrong size or shape and find that perspective incorrect. This can mean that people, cars, buildings, etc. look smaller or larger than they should be, or that distances look incorrect; for instance, a hall may appear to be very long, or the ground may appear too close. Other symptoms include: distorted time perception and the time moves quicker or slower. For example, a feeling that the ground is 'spongy' under the feet or that the sensation received from touching something is simply incorrect. The most common possibles causes and diagnosis are classical migraine, epilepsy and glandular fever. Alice in Wonderland Syndrome is a disturbance of perception rather than a specific physiological change in the body's systems. The diagnosis can be when other physical causes have not been normal and if the patient presents symptoms along with migraines and complains during the day or night. Another symptom of this illness is sound distortion, every little movement makes different sounds. This can make a person with Alice in Wonderland Syndrome paranoid and afraid to move.
Currently, there is nothing effective for Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, because this syndrome it`s untreatable. However it is possible to help people in these circumstances. There are some tips for the possible causes and the suffers can feel better: It`s very important that the patients make changes in your diet and lifestyle. Prevent migraines by eating well, and with balanced feeding. Avoid dark chocolate, red wine and strong cheese. Sleep and relax everyday very well. In some cases the people who suffer this syndrome need to take antidepressants. Finally, although there are no studies available that display any correlation between age, gender or race, it`s possible to have a normal life. The doctors say that this syndrome can be relatively between people who suffer migraine and young people. I think that this disease is not so bad compared to others that affect the body physically, such as elephantiasis and things like that. Itâ€&#x;s very important that you know this syndrome is not contagious, but if you or a family member these perceptions it is important to search for psychological help.
By HernĂĄn Quiroga Cano
PICA Pica is a medical disorder characterized by ingestion and appetite of nonnutritive substance. The word Pica comes from the Latin magpie a bird that eats any type of inedible substances. This article informs you about the people who suffer that disease, the things that they eat and the treatment to overcome this disease. Pica affects children with malnutrition or autism and pregnant woman. In children this disease affects children between 1 and 6 years and it disappears when the child grows up. As for a pregnant women pica affects in the first or second trimester of the pregnancy and it disappears in some cases when she gives birth, but this condition can affect the baby, and in some cases the baby is born dead. This disease has three types depending on the things that the people eat. Geophagy is a person whom eats soil, Pagophagia is a person who likes to eat ice and Amilofagia is a person who eats flour. Some things that people eat are: metal, clay, coal, sand, dirt, soil, feces, chalk, pens, paper, batteries, spoons, toothbrushes, soap, mucus, ash, glum, lip balm, flour, raw potato, raw rice, starch, ice cubes , salt and among other. The treatment to overcome this disease starts when the Doctor makes exams, then the Doctor has to work with the patient in therapy. The doctor makes him/her some exams to know the things that the patient has in the stomach, if these things are sharp elements the doctor has to do a surgery and extract those things. Experts in psychopharmacology say that there arenâ€&#x;t medicines to cure this disease, in that way the best option is to treat with psychological therapy with the company of the family. This disease can be in some cases complicated because of the things that the patient eats, but in most of the cases this disease disappears with age and it can be treated with therapy.
By Andrea Romero
PHYSICAL DISEASES ARE YOU SURE THAT NOT FEELING PAIN IS LUCK? At some point in your life, have you thought that it is better not to feel physical pain? If you answer is yes! Of course! This article may change your opinion. In the world there are about 600 people who don‟t feel pain, temperature and even the need to urinate. This nervous system disorder is called Congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosisor simply CIPA. In the next lines, we will examine what is CIPA, its symptoms, its disadvantages and we will evaluate if it is possible to cure this rare disease. CIPA - acronym in English – is caused by a genetic mutation which prevents the formation of nerve cells which are responsible for transmitting signals of pain, heat, and cold to the brain. CIPA is a nervous system disorder that a lot of people could consider lucky, but in the real world this is a very dangerous condition that prevents from feeling pain or changes in your own body. Anyhow, pain is the only way our body can tell us that something is wrong. At this point, maybe you are thinking “What is wrong with not feeling pain?! You never cry for a vaccine or something like that”. The main CIPA´s symptom is obviously not feeling anything. This includes, for example, not feeling if your foot is broken (bone fractures), infections, and hyperthermia during hot weather because of inability to sweat, and in some cases not feeling the need to urinate. Nevertheless, this disorder could unchain infections or dangerous injuries and even amputations. Not feeling pain seems to sound great, but this is not true. You must know that pain is how your body connects external sensations with your brain. Also, pain is the way through which you can prevent risky activities and strange situations. For example, Roberto Salazar from West Lafayette (EE.UU) walked four days with a broken foot and the infection was so severe that his foot was amputated. Does it sound fine? OK. At this point you know that not feeling pain is a huge problem, but is it possible to cure it? The answer is yes, but the CIPA´s treatments don´t always work. However, there are some cases where naloxone may be used as a treatment. Naloxone is a chemical that acts within the nervous system of the body by blocking the nervous system from causing the inactions that occur within the group of cells that receives the message to initiate the sensation of pain, heat, or cold. Anyway, all this treatments are very expensive and in the most of the cases useless.
In brief, not feeling pain is possible but dangerous. Congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosisor CIPA is a nervous system disorder which prevents signals of pain to be transmitted to the brain. In that case, people who suffer this disease must be very careful because a simple injury could become an amputation or an infection. Moreover, CIPA´s treatments are very expensive and in the most of the cases don´t work at all. For this reason, people afflicted with the disorder don´t live past 3 years of age, and those who do rarely pass age 25. The reason for the short life span is often related to the sufferer's inability to sweat, which leads to hyperthermia. So, are you sure that not feeling pain is luck?
By Santiago Moreno
EPIDERMOLYSIS BULLOSA (EB) Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a hereditary disease and a set of diseases or disorders of the skin genetically transmitted. The skin has two layers: the outer layer is called the epidermis and the inner layer the dermis. In normal people, there are proteins made of collagen between the two layers that prevent them from moving independently from one another. In people born with EB, the two skin layers lack or don´t have the protein made of collagen that hold them together, and any action that creates friction between them will create blisters and painful ulcers or sores as third degree burns; moreover, the skin of people affected with EB is characterized to be delicate as crystal, weak, extremely sensitive and extremely vulnerable, and with the slightest touch with another person the skin peels off. Therefore, this disease is also called the crystal skin disease or butterfly skin. For all these reasons, it is very important to know more information about this disease, such as, first classification or types, second treatment, and third symptoms or possible complications.
There are two main types of epidermolysis bullosa each of them with characteristic or specific symptoms. First, Epidermolysis bullosa simplex is the most curable because it is characterized by skin blistering which begins anytime between childhood and adulthood and the blisters usually appear in the outer layer of hands and feet, that is, epidermis. The blisters heal without tissue loss and affected people often experience improvement over time. Second, in Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa the blisters usually appear in the inner layer, that is, dermis, and it is possible that injuries join the skin between the fingers and toes. In addition, the blisters appear in the mucous membranes, such as, mouth, pharynx, stomach, intestine, urinary and respiratory tract and inner eyelids and cornea, for that this type of epidermolysis is more dangerous. The goal of the treatment for this disease is to prevent blisters formation and complications. The recommendations often include avoiding skin damage and hot environments are: The biggest concern of parents and doctors who take care of these patients are infections because they can reach the bloodstream and then they can enter the heart or other organ; however, the proper care can make the patient have good immunity. This disease at first sight is like a person burned chronically and superficially, which is very painful because patients must have long daily cures. The dermatologists explain that the treatment consists of special bandages made of Vaseline and antibiotic cream, and whirlpool therapy to counter one infection. Moreover reconstructive surgeries are necessary when the fingers or toes are joined, and when the esophagus closes so they can eat well. Doctors also supply
vitamin D, because the skin is covered by bandages and doesn‟t have contact with the sun, other recommendations are good dental hygiene, including regular dental visits. Proper nutrition is also important when you have a lot of skin injuries, you may need extra calories and protein to help you recover. If the person has blisters or complications in the mouth or esophagus, s/he should avoid eating hard or crunchy foods such as pretzels, nuts, and chips. Eating soft foods can help prevent the sores from getting worse. Furthermore, working with a physical therapist can help you keep your motion in the joints and minimize contractions in the muscles. On the other hand, the Epidermolysis bullosa has a lot of symptoms and possible complications as a result of the disease. For example, Alopecia (hair loss), blisters around the eyes and nose, blisters in or around the mouth and throat, causing feeding problems. Blisters on the skin as a result of an injury or temperature change, dental problems such as tooth decay, hoarse cry, cough, or other breathing problems, anemia, eye disorders, including blindness, loss of function in the hands and feet, muscular dystrophy, periodontal disease, severe malnutrition caused by feeding difficulty, leading to failure to human development, skin cancer, EB can even cause the death. All in all it is very important to know about Epidermolysis bullosa which refers to a group of inherited diseases with some slight symptoms, but in the majority of cases serious sign, affecting the skin and mucous membranes which produce the formation of blisters after minimal trauma, with implication of other organs. There is no specific treatment and the evolution is chronic to diminish the quality of life of patients and their survival.
By Edward Rincón Garzón
THE NEW VISHNU In the world there are a lot of rare diseases and one is IschiopagusIt is a rare condition where there is like a fusion between two or more twins in a body. When the fusion occurs it is called Siamese twin, like twins merge in its arms, even with two heads or persons sharing a body. They are the Siamese twin common cases, I mean, the cases that we already know, but sometimes, the merge between twins doesn‟t produce two joined persons, it is only a person with something more: two faces, three arms, three legs, etc. it is the ischiopagus deformity. The extreme of this disease is the parasitic twin. In these cases the parasitic twin (fetus in fetu) didn´t sufficiently developed sufficiently the nervous system to move by itself, think by itself, etc., then all its parts will be controlled by the “gest”, I mean the stronger twin. A few cases are known. For example, the case of Bettie Lou Williams, She was born with another half body developed in her abdomen. The X rays shown a skull a little development inside her body, each case is different. In the world there are only a few hundred cases documented. Another example, in India there is a little girl born with 8 limbs. She was born the day where the Hindus venerate to Vishnu, one of the three main gods in the Hindu religion. He is „the Preserver‟ and is known for his many AVATARS, As Vishnu she had two extra pairs of arms and two pairs of legs, for this reason she was venerated, her name is Lakshmi. The recent case is the Lakshmi in India. The little girl was joined to a headless parasitic twin that had stopped developing in her mother‟s womb. The parasitic twin was attached through the pelvis and it has its own spinal column and kidney. In 2007 Lakshmi was operated, the doctors removed the parasitic twin, and now she will be a normal person. Doctors surmised early on that without the operation, she would not be able to live into her teens, but now after surgery she has a normal life with little problems to walk. Doctors were convinced she could not survived into adulthood This disease isn´t common, for this reason a few cases are known around the world and sometimes these are considered like Tabus, stories around the world that people can listen to it in little villages or faraway places, the examples mentioned above were known for their extreme condition and they had a happy ending, however also there are a lot of cases where the twins die, the twins survival depend of many factors like the place conditions where they were born, the family, the strong twin, the training of the doctor and lucky. All those conditions become it disease a challenge for the medicine and the humanity
By Jorge Armando Bravo
THE WOLFMAN The wolf man is a man that has an issue in his skin. The problem is that, he (the wolf man) has a lot of hair in his face. This problem, anyone can have it. I will explain the following items in the next line: The problems are genetic, the wolf man does not have a cure and the wolf man is so discriminated.
The wolf man is a genetic problem. This happens in the real life, and it is for some genetic problems. This is an issue that remains in the family until the family is dead. However, for a long time, the family lives and they have to live with this problem, I mean, the family has to live with this issue. The wolf man does not have a cure. His/her hair in his/her face, doesnâ€&#x;t have a cure and it is impossible to cure (his/her face can not have an operation to remove the hair, because the hair grows again). The wolf man is so discriminated .Some men, woman, boys and girls are so discriminated, because they are different, I mean, they have hair in their face and the people think that this is so rare, and they have to be dead, because, they are so ugly and they are the scum of the society.
In conclusion, the wolf man has to learn to live with this issue, the wolf man have to learn that he will never be ok (I mean, the wolf man has to live with the issue but the wolf man have to live happy, the wolf man can not be sad, the wolf man has to live) and we have to be tolerance and learn to accept people different from us (this is the base to have the perfect society, be tolerant with the things that are different).
By Diego Moreno Lara.
PORPHYRIA (VAMPIRE DISEASE) The Porphyria is a hereditary disorder in which little is known, for that it is called “rare”. In this article we will discuss the porphyria, its symptoms, test to diagnose and treatments. In the world there is a little group of people who have a strange disease called Porphyria or Vampire Disease. The Porphyria is a genetic disease, where the body has an abnormal production of hemoglobin and the person can‟t receive or expose to sunlight. It is estimated that 1 in 75,000 people suffer acute attacks of porphyria, 8 out of 10 of these patients are young women, and Spain is where the greatest concentration of patients with porphyria is. Porphyria has different symptoms, these symptoms and the attacks usually last no more than one or two weeks with a variable frequency in the intensity of pain. The numbers of symptoms vary among the seven types of porphyria, like, colic, stomachache, skin sensitivity to light, especially sunlight, nervous and muscular system problems, muscle pain, paralysis, arms and legs pain, backache and personality changes. That can be caused by different reasons such as drugs, alcohol and hormones. In the case of having these symptoms, it is common to do some tests and exams to diagnose the disease. Although, the greater condition of porphyria is the difficulty of diagnosis because its symptoms are mistaken for other disorders, it is necessary before receiving a treatment, do a complete metabolic panel, check the levels of prophyring, abdominal ultrasounds and urinalysis. For example, for marriages that have family history and want to have a baby it is necessary to do genetic counseling. After the exams and if it is diagnosed Porphyria, the person need to begin a treatment for life, because it is a disease for life with symptoms that can come and go. The principal treatment is to administer Helmatin, and sometimes it depends on the porphyria type, in addition to use analgesics, propranolol, fluid and glucose to boost carbohydrate levels, avoid the alcohol, drugs and specially avoid the sunlight as much as possible and eat a rich diet in carbohydrates. In this way, the Porphyria is a strange and mysterious disease that can be an explanation for the origin of vampires in ancient times. Although, today many more people than we believe have this strange disease. For that is very important to report the rare diseases, both in the field of medicine and in society.
By Natalia C. Sanabria O.
THANK YOU!......