Jabberwocky
Frumious Bandersnatch
- Joined
- Nov 3, 1999
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A woman who had been an alcoholic for 40 years developed a massive hump on her back as a result of drinking.
Doctors who treated the 64-year-old were astounded to discover she had a so-called ‘buffalo hump’.
Her condition had initially left them baffled as the patient also had huge lumps all over her neck and arms.
As a last resort, they were forced search on the internet - and eventually diagnosed her with the rare illness Madelung disease.
Normally seen in male alcoholics, it causes fatty tumours called lipomas to form on the torso.
Describing her case in the journal BMJ Case reports, doctors at the Brooklyn Hospital Center said the patient arrived confused, unable to tell the time and with weak limbs.
After examining her, they were shocked to discover huge lumps all over her upper body.
‘At first glance, we noticed multiple swellings all over the body - around the neck, upper back and upper extremities, which were very peculiar to the medical team,’ they wrote in the journal.
Upon speaking to the patient, she recalled having suffered progressive muscle weakness for a year.
This had become so bad she had become barely able to leave the house, she explained.
She then admitted she had drunk heavily for 40 years, her last binge being around two weeks earlier.
Blood tests revealed she had ketoacidosis, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition normally seen in people with type 1 diabetes, for which she was treated immediately.
This is where the body starts metabolising fat, leading to the formation of waste products called ketones.
These build up in the blood, causing it to become acidic, which can lead to coma or death if left untreated.
Decades of drinking had also left her with fatty liver disease, they found.
To discover whether the mystery lumps were cancer, they sent her for scans, and found they were benign lumps of fat beneath the skin on her shoulders, biceps and triceps.
This led to her being diagnosed with Madelung disease - a rare illness usually more common in men, and associated with alcoholism, diabetes, fat disorders, liver disease and people of Mediterranean ancestry.
The symptoms vary greatly from person to person, but it usually causes fatty tissue to accumulate under the skin, leading to a loss of mobility in the neck.
In the majority of cases, the disease is benign; however, lipomas can become cancerous in rare circumstances.
It is not yet understood how heavy alcohol drinking leads to the disease, but in non-alcoholics it may be caused by changes in the DNA in the mitochondria in the cells.
The woman said she had been aware of her deformities for five years, but they didn’t bother her physically, and she didn’t care how they looked.
Doctors explained she could be treated with liposuction and abstaining from drinking, which may stop its progression.
After much discussion, the woman decided to stop drinking, but was unwilling to have surgery, the report concludes.
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...develops-BOOZE-hump-huge-lumps-neck-arms.html
Doctors who treated the 64-year-old were astounded to discover she had a so-called ‘buffalo hump’.
Her condition had initially left them baffled as the patient also had huge lumps all over her neck and arms.
As a last resort, they were forced search on the internet - and eventually diagnosed her with the rare illness Madelung disease.
Normally seen in male alcoholics, it causes fatty tumours called lipomas to form on the torso.
Describing her case in the journal BMJ Case reports, doctors at the Brooklyn Hospital Center said the patient arrived confused, unable to tell the time and with weak limbs.
After examining her, they were shocked to discover huge lumps all over her upper body.
‘At first glance, we noticed multiple swellings all over the body - around the neck, upper back and upper extremities, which were very peculiar to the medical team,’ they wrote in the journal.
Upon speaking to the patient, she recalled having suffered progressive muscle weakness for a year.
This had become so bad she had become barely able to leave the house, she explained.
She then admitted she had drunk heavily for 40 years, her last binge being around two weeks earlier.
Blood tests revealed she had ketoacidosis, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition normally seen in people with type 1 diabetes, for which she was treated immediately.
This is where the body starts metabolising fat, leading to the formation of waste products called ketones.
These build up in the blood, causing it to become acidic, which can lead to coma or death if left untreated.
Decades of drinking had also left her with fatty liver disease, they found.
To discover whether the mystery lumps were cancer, they sent her for scans, and found they were benign lumps of fat beneath the skin on her shoulders, biceps and triceps.
This led to her being diagnosed with Madelung disease - a rare illness usually more common in men, and associated with alcoholism, diabetes, fat disorders, liver disease and people of Mediterranean ancestry.
The symptoms vary greatly from person to person, but it usually causes fatty tissue to accumulate under the skin, leading to a loss of mobility in the neck.
In the majority of cases, the disease is benign; however, lipomas can become cancerous in rare circumstances.
It is not yet understood how heavy alcohol drinking leads to the disease, but in non-alcoholics it may be caused by changes in the DNA in the mitochondria in the cells.
The woman said she had been aware of her deformities for five years, but they didn’t bother her physically, and she didn’t care how they looked.
Doctors explained she could be treated with liposuction and abstaining from drinking, which may stop its progression.
After much discussion, the woman decided to stop drinking, but was unwilling to have surgery, the report concludes.
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...develops-BOOZE-hump-huge-lumps-neck-arms.html
