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.
Latest about Diagnostic dilemma
Diagnostic dilemma quiz: Can you guess the diagnosis in these strange medical cases?
Based on our "Diagnostic Dilemma" series, this quiz tests your medical know-how.
A man's bladder looked like a Christmas tree
In an unusual case, a man's bladder swelled dramatically at its base, taking the shape of a Christmas tree.
An otherwise 'fit' man had a stroke after drinking 8 'high-potency' energy drinks a day
A man with few risk factors unexpectedly experienced a stroke, and his daily energy drink habit may have been to blame.
Man caught rabies from organ transplant after donor was scratched by skunk
A Michigan man died of rabies despite having no recent exposure to a potentially infected animal.
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.
