Strange cases hit doctors in 2022

Physicians publish unusual or rare cases of patients in scientific journals to inform their colleagues, without the need for extensive research, which can be time-consuming and costly.

Reports tend to highlight unexpected symptoms, rare side effects of treatment, or innovative treatment approaches, but more research is usually needed to confirm the results.

Doctors have reported a number of mysterious medical cases this year, here are three interesting cases from 2022:

A man overdosed on vitamin D after taking 80 times the recommended dose.

A middle-aged man was hospitalized with diarrhea, weight loss and tinnitus after taking 80 times the recommended amount of vitamin D for a month, according to a report published in BMJ Case Reports in July.

The doctors wrote that a private nutritionist asked the unidentified man to take a vitamin D supplement along with 19 others.

Vitamin D is essential for bone health and is obtained naturally from sunlight and foods such as mushrooms and oily fish.

But if taken in large amounts, usually due to an overdose of supplements, it can be toxic to body organs, including the kidneys, intestines, and heart.

A blood test showed that the man’s vitamin D levels were seven times the recommended amount, his calcium levels were dangerously high, and his kidneys were at risk of damage.

Vitamin D regulates the amount of calcium in the body, so an overdose can cause calcium levels to rise, which can lead to neurological symptoms, including drowsiness, psychosis, and coma.

The authors of the report say it takes about two months for the body to clear half of the initial amount of vitamin D taken, so symptoms can last for weeks.

They said the man’s condition was unusual, but excess levels of vitamin D can cause “debilitating” effects on the body.

Doctors said it was safe to take the recommended dose of vitamin D, but urged people to talk to a doctor before starting alternative treatments or over-the-counter medications.

Man forced to stop having sex after developing rare post-orgasmic syndrome

According to a study published in the medical journal Urology Case Reports in November, a 27-year-old man stopped having sex until he was prescribed an antihistamine that keeps him from experiencing flu-like symptoms every time he ejaculates.

An unnamed Michigan man developed symptoms after ejaculating, including a cough, runny nose, sneezing and a hives-like rash.

Doctors believe it was due to Post-Orgasmic Illness Syndrome (POIS), which causes flu-like symptoms and allergic reactions after a person orgasms after sexual activity, and symptoms can last up to a week.

The report notes that we do not know what causes the disease, which has affected at least 60 people over the past 20 years.

There are currently no proven treatments, but the patient said the antihistamine fexofenadine reduced his symptoms by 90 percent, including the rash, allowing him to have sex again, according to the report.

The authors of the report said more research is needed to find out if fexofenadine will help people with PTSD.

A man develops a black hairy tongue after he changes his diet.

According to a report published in JAMA Dermatology in March, a man in his 50s developed a black hairy tongue after suffering a stroke that caused him to eat only pureed and liquid foods.

Indian doctors wrote in a report that “black hairy tongue” (lingua villosa nigra) occurs most often in people on a pureed diet.

It forms due to a lack of wear or stimulation on the top of the tongue, resulting in a buildup of a protein called keratin.

As a result, the conical tubercles covering the tongue, called filiform papillae, elongate and form a hair-like appearance on the top of the tongue.

Someone may also develop a hairy tongue due to: poor oral hygiene, cigarette smoking, use of oxidizing mouthwashes or oral antibiotics, drinking large amounts of coffee or tea, or diseases that suppress the immune system, such as a person’s immunity to HIV or cancer.

In this case, the report says, a thick black film covered most of the man’s tongue. Black hairy tongue is a harmless temporary condition that usually improves with tongue cleaning or using a tongue scraper.

The doctors wrote that this patient’s condition resolved after 20 days thanks to “appropriate cleaning.”

Source: Business Insider