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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A woman got a rare parasitic lung infection after eating raw frogs
In an unusual case, a woman developed a parasitic infection in her lungs, when more typically, the parasite stays just under the skin.
A man's muscles looked strangely deformed. Doctors found they were leaking calcium into his blood.
A man showed up to the hospital with vomiting, weakness, failing kidneys and sky-high calcium. The culprit was a muscle-enhancing oil he injected into his chest and arms years ago.
Woman had her twin brother's XY chromosomes — but only in her blood
Doctors discovered a woman had "blood chimerism" after examining the chromosomes of cells from different parts of her body.
A woman's homemade juice led to life-threatening 'toxic squash syndrome'
In the first reported case of its kind in Canada, a woman fell violently ill after consuming the juice of a bitter gourd.
Milk leaking from woman's armpits revealed 'ectopic breasts'
After giving birth, a woman noticed that she produced milk from both her mammary glands and her armpits.
A baby suddenly started to smell of rotting fish
A boy would stink of fish after eating certain dishes, and doctors found that the noxious odor likely stemmed from a rare genetic quirk.
A toddler accidently ate gonorrhea bacteria from a lab dish
In a bizarre medical case published in 1984, a young boy was inadvertently exposed to an STI-causing bacteria in a lab dish.
A woman's nausea was triggered by a huge mass in her stomach — which doctors dissolved with diet soda
A woman's abdominal discomfort turned out to be caused by a build up of food in her stomach. And the treatment involved diet soda.
