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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Shingles popped a hole in a man's bladder
A man suffered a rare complication of shingles and ended up with a ruptured bladder.
A man was stabbed through the throat and the base of the skull — by a fish
While on a fishing trip, a man sustained an unusual injury from a marlin.
A woman started eating foam from her chair while receiving dialysis
A woman on dialysis experienced a lot of fluid buildup between appointments and developed an unusual eating habit in an attempt to counter it.
Black widow spider's venom poisoned a woman through her eyeball
A woman went to the emergency room after getting bits of a venomous spider in her eye.
A rare genetic disease stained a woman's heart black
An older woman had a relatively common heart problem, but it had a very rare cause.
Cold-water rinses left 'cobblestone' growths in woman's sinuses
A woman developed prominent bumps inside her sinuses, similar to a condition seen in "surfer's ear."
A man held in a sneeze — and it punctured his windpipe
A man tore his windpipe, in part, due to hay fever.
A woman heard a 'pop' during Pilates class. Her spine had sprung a leak.
A woman developed awful headaches after a Pilates class, and their underlying cause was very unusual.
