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The patient role : A 21 - yr - honest-to-goodness woman in Italy

The symptoms : Over the course of three years , the woman would occasionally bleed from her human face and palm , despite not having any cuts or scratch . There was no obvious induction for the hemorrhage , which would last from one to five minutes . It was n’t linked to a particular forcible body process ; it could happen when she was exercising or sleeping , for representative . However , the patient noticed that the bleeding episodes seemed more severe when she was emotionally stressed .

Close up of a young blonde woman, covered in perspiration, frowning, tense and nervous - tinted red.

A woman would bleed from her face despite not having any injuries or cuts. (This is a stock image, not the woman from the case.)

What happened next : Upon being admit to the hospital , the patient role had been feeling dispirited and experiencing terror attack , and she had become socially isolated because she was embarrassed by the hemorrhage episodes . While examining her , doctors noticed what they key out as " the venting of blood - stained fluid from her face , " concord to a causa report print in theCanadian Medical Association Journal .

doctor examined the bloody secretion under a microscope and confirmed the presence of red blood jail cell .

The diagnosis : The blood cells ruled out the theory of afactitious disorder , or the notion that the woman was pretending to be sick . It also rein out various disorders that make " colored stew , " likechromhidrosis . Therefore , the doctor name the woman with hematohidrosis , a rarefied disease in which " blood effort " spontaneously discharges through a somebody ’s uninjured pelt . The affected role ’s profligate tests showed normal results , as did microscopical analyses of the affected role ’s skin .

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The intervention : Doctors prescribed the young woman a daily dose ofpropranolol , a beta - blocker that ’s usually used for heart- and circulation - related issues . In their report , the doctors said they opted for this drug because it had previously been used in similar cases . Although the drug noticeably decreased the amount of hemorrhage , it did not whole arrest it .

What makes the case unparalleled : As inother reported cases of hematohidrosis , the medico could not explain on the dot how or why the woman was bleeding through her undamaged skin .

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In their report depict this sheath , they observe various possibility that attempt to explicate the condition . For example , some mean systemic diseases that affect blood curdling may be to blame . Others suggestoveractivation of the competitiveness - or - flight systemmay play a function .

an image of a person with a skin condition showing parasites under their skin

It ’s also not bed how the parentage physically passes through the skin . There ’s no evidence to suggest the blood prepare its style through the sweat secreter ; some reports describebleeding through the hair follicles . what is more , some patient role have also experienced such hemorrhage in areas that do n’t have effort glands , like the glossa or under their nails .

This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to offer aesculapian advice .

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Sickle cell anaemia. Artwork showing normal red blood cells (round), and red blood cells affected by sickle cell anaemia (crescent shaped). This is a disease in which the red blood cells contain an abnormal form of haemoglobin (bloods oxygen-carrying pigment) that causes the blood cells to become sickle-shaped, rather than round. Sickle cells cannot move through small blood vessels as easily as normal cells and so can cause blockages (right). This prevents oxygen from reaching the tissues, causing severe pain and organ damage.

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