Zostrianos
16th July 2012, 06:28
I just came across one of the most disturbing diseases I've ever heard of: Fatal insomnia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_familial_insomnia). Essentially, once it starts, you'll endure about a year of sleepless nights before you finally die in agony:
The disease has four stages, taking 7 to 18 months to run its course:
The patient suffers increasing insomnia, resulting in panic attacks, paranoia, and phobias. This stage lasts for about four months.
Hallucinations and panic attacks become noticeable, continuing for about five months.
Complete inability to sleep is followed by rapid loss of weight. This lasts for about three months.
Dementia, during which the patient becomes unresponsive or mute over the course of six months. This is the final progression of the disease, after which death follows.
There is no cure or treatment for FFI. Gene therapy is so far unsuccessful. While it is not currently possible to reverse the underlying illness, there is some evidence that treatments that focus upon the symptoms can improve quality of life.
It has been proven that sleeping pills and barbiturates do not help; on the contrary, in 74% of cases they worsen the clinical manifestations and speed up the clinical course of the disease.
The disease has four stages, taking 7 to 18 months to run its course:
The patient suffers increasing insomnia, resulting in panic attacks, paranoia, and phobias. This stage lasts for about four months.
Hallucinations and panic attacks become noticeable, continuing for about five months.
Complete inability to sleep is followed by rapid loss of weight. This lasts for about three months.
Dementia, during which the patient becomes unresponsive or mute over the course of six months. This is the final progression of the disease, after which death follows.
There is no cure or treatment for FFI. Gene therapy is so far unsuccessful. While it is not currently possible to reverse the underlying illness, there is some evidence that treatments that focus upon the symptoms can improve quality of life.
It has been proven that sleeping pills and barbiturates do not help; on the contrary, in 74% of cases they worsen the clinical manifestations and speed up the clinical course of the disease.