Health Alert: 6 rare diseases you must know about

With a leading Bollywood actor’s cryptic tweet about suffering from a ‘rare disease’ going viral, his fans have become curious about actor’s illness. Meanwhile, the actor has decided to maintain privacy about his health condition and has also requested people not to speculate about his illness. Though we hope he gets well really soon, for all our curious readers we are enlisting a few rare diseases that you must be aware of.

DUBIN-JOHNSON SYNDROME: Dubin-Johnson syndrome is a rare genetic liver disorder. This disease is characterised by increased bilirubin (produced by the breakdown of red blood cells.) levels in blood. This condition is also referred to as hyperbilirubinemia and is characterised by persistent yellowing of the skin, mucous membranes and whites of the eyes (jaundice). Yellowing is usually the only symptom in most of the cases.

GILBERT’S SYNDROME: Gilbert’s syndrome is a liver condition wherein the liver doesn’t properly process bilirubin. This disease is also referred to as constitutional hepatic dysfunction and familial nonhemolytic jaundice. You can be born with this disease as a result of an inherited gene mutation and might not even know until it's discovered accidentally.

PEYRONIE’S DISEASE: Calcification or plaque build-up can cause the penis to bend or curve, which is also referred to as Peyronie’s Disease. This, in turn, can also lead to shortening of the penis, erectile dysfunction, and the inability to penetrate during intercourse.

ACUTE RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME: Acute respiratory distress syndrome or ARDS is a severe and acute lung dysfunction. This may affect both or most of both the lungs. This disease can be the result of an illness or even injury. Sometimes also referred to as adult respiratory distress syndrome, this syndrome can also affect children.

MOEBIUS SYNDROME: This is a rare and genetic disease which is characterised by complete facial paralysis. It disables the sufferer from closing eyes or displaying any form of facial expression. A person suffering from this disease also experiences limb abnormality like clubbed feet and even missing fingers.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND SYNDROME: As per the Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine, people who suffer from Alice in Wonderland syndrome perceive objects as being far smaller than they are. This condition is also referred to as micropsia or Lilliput sight can also impact the sense of hearing, touch and perceptions of one's own body image.