“Metaludes” among us: unusual diseases that look like superpowers

Hundreds of comic books and movies about superheroes involuntarily bring to mind: which of their anomalies would be most useful in life? There’s no way you’ve ever once in your life not thought, “Wow, I wish I could do that!”. Recovering quickly, traveling at the speed of light, attracting objects, or seeping into hard-to-reach places in search of the remote under the bed – who would turn that down?

And in one way or another, amazing stories slip into our info-field about people who can do things that are beyond the control of others. So what exactly gives them “powers”? We tell about amazing cases and real “miracles”.

doctor of the highest qualification category, head of the department of functional diagnostics

The titled French biathlete Martin Fourcade has a mutation of the gene responsible for iron metabolism. If the mutation affected both chromosomes, he would be a seriously ill person and would not be able to play sports. But since only one chromosome was mutated and the other chromosome has no change, it led to a natural improvement in blood performance. It can now carry more oxygen.

The mutation allows the athlete to recover faster relative to men with similar physiological data after heavy loads and injuries, to be more enduring and faster during the competition season. That is, among other athletes, Martin is an analog of a superhuman with increased regeneration.

Life without pain

Not feeling pain after abrasions, bruises and fractures is a childhood dream for many people. We want to get up, shake it off and move on, just like in the movies. When we feel pain, we forget that it is not just an unpleasant and painful sensation, but also our defense system. It signals danger to the body.

There are about 20 documented cases of so-called congenital analgesia, an extremely rare disorder of the nervous system, worldwide.

You can’t “turn off” pain selectively. Therefore, you will not feel the difference between hot and cold, sharp and blunt objects, which will lead to a large number of injuries and abrasions.

This disease is due to a mutation in a family of genes that are responsible for creating channels that carry sodium. The latter plays a key role in the cell’s ability to generate and transmit electrical signals.

Patients with congenital insensitivity to pain also lose the ability to thermoregulate (accompanied by an inability to sweat), recognize and sense odors. The disease causes mental retardation.

One of the main causes of lack of sleep is a group of prion diseases. They arise from changes in the structure of normal membrane proteins, which are called cellular prion proteins. Their exact function is still unknown. Disturbances in these proteins cause incurable processes in the brain.

One of the diseases of the group is fatal familial insomnia. Only 40 families are known to be affected by this disease. The disease manifests itself between the ages of 30-60 years and is fatal on average in 7-36 months.

About nine months after the onset of the disease, the person completely loses the ability to sleep. This condition is short-lived and worsens over time.

A number of conditions, also called hypermobile syndrome, are due to genetics. They have defects in fibrous structures and the basic substance of connective tissue, which leads to disruption of the formation of organs and systems.

Julia: There are hereditary and acquired diseases of connective tissue, as well as conditions of hypermobility (excessive mobility), including joints.

Acquired excessive joint mobility is common in:

• Ballet dancers;
• athletes;
• musicians.

It develops due to prolonged repetitive stretching of the ligamentous apparatus during training. That is, prolonged exercise leads to overstretching of the ligaments and hypermobility of the joints. Also, such conditions can arise due to pregnancy, endocrine system disorders, Marfan syndrome (hereditary connective tissue disease).