Doctors write case reports to help call rare conditions to the attention of their peers, or to highlight patients whose diagnoses ended up being a bit of a puzzle. Case reports can shed light on emerging trends, hinting at when a condition might be becoming more common. They can also point out treatments that seem to work for diseases that have very few therapeutic options. At Live Science, our writers and editors highlight a report each week to raise awareness of these cases, and in the process, shed light on how the human body works and what happens when things go awry.
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Fisher's colon punctured by eel that snuck in through his rectum
Diagnostic Dilemma A man's intestines were perforated in an "exceedingly rare" medical case involving a live eel.
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A woman got a lung transplant — and ended up with a peanut allergy, too
Diagnostic dilemma After an organ transplant, a woman developed a new food allergy.
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A man tried to self-treat his incontinence by gluing his urethra shut
Diagnostic Dilemma A man attempted to self-treat his incontinence via unorthodox means and ended up needing surgery.
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A joyful wedding nearly broke a woman's heart in a rare case of 'happy heart syndrome'
Diagnostic dilemma A 65-year-old woman arrived at the ER with textbook signs of a heart attack — but the real trigger turned out to be joy, not a blocked artery.
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Doctors performed surgery to remove a mass in a woman's gut — and a bug-like creature immediately jumped out
Diagnostic dilemma In a strange case, doctors removed a mass from a woman's digestive tract and encountered a live organism they didn't expect.
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Man who consulted ChatGPT about cutting out table salt ended up hospitalized with psychosis
Diagnostic Dilemma A man looking for healthy alternatives to table salt consulted ChatGPT for help, but he ended up hospitalized with paranoia and hallucinations.
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Rare 'spinal stroke' struck an 8-year-old and temporarily paralyzed her
Diagnostic Dilemma When an 8-year-old suddenly lost the ability to walk, doctors ruled out infection and autoimmune disease before uncovering a rare explanation.
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6-year-old develops life-threatening allergic reaction after blood transfusion
Diagnostic Dilemma A 6-year-old cancer patient was receiving a blood transfusion when he developed a potentially deadly allergic reaction.
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Junk-food diet caused a teen's permanent blindness
Diagnostic Dilemma A teen's nutrient-poor diet led to irreversible vision problems.
Diagnostic Dilemma