In a medical discovery that doctors are dubbing as one of the “most unusual” cases they’ve ever seen, Italian doctors have come upon a woman who sweats blood from her face and the palms of her hands.
No, we’re not kidding.
According to CBS News, the 21-year-old woman was admitted to hospital following a three-year history with the spontaneous condition, which would happen when she was sleeping, during exercise and even when she was feeling stressed.
Strangely, if you were to wipe the blood away, there was no sign of a skin condition or broken skin.
Source: Canadian Medical Association Journal.
And as reported by the Canadian Medical Association Journal bloody sweat would last anywhere between one and five minutes.
Because of her condition, this woman had become withdrawn from her own life, with doctors noting that she had become socially isolated, ultimately leading to depression.
So, what do this all mean? Well, doctors examining this woman’s case, diagnosed her with hematohidrosis: a rare disease that see a patient sweat blood through unbroken skin or pores.
This case, and its diagnosis, has left medical experts across the world divided. And, as Canadian haematologist says, that this may not be a bleeding disease – rather, it could be an issue with her sweat ducts.
“I think this person has a very bizarre anatomical defect on a microscopic level that is resulting in this very unusual symptom,” Dr. Michelle Sholzberg says.
This isn’t the first time a case like this has been reported; back in 2013, Indian researchers reported the same condition in a “healthy 12-year-old girl” and put her bloody sweat down to extreme levels of stress.
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