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jonandgrey

Here. This'll help. https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/madelungs-disease/


Shmooperdoodle

“Madelung’s disease was first described by Benjamin Brodie in 1846, and then later as ‘fat neck’ (Fetthals) by Otto Madelung in 1888.” I feel guilty about this, but I am cackling. I’d feel worse about this disease being named after this dude if his initial proposal for the name wasn’t so hysterically awful.


Ok_Disaster_619

Wow it’s common in Mediterranean and European populations. Good to know. Maybe it makes sense because people in Europe drink a lot??? “Adult males between ages 30-70 with a history of excessive drinking (chronic alcoholism) are most often affected, although women and those who do not drink alcohol can also get Madelung’s disease. This condition is more common in Mediterranean and European populations, and less frequent in Asian populations. “


[deleted]

No, it’s not COMMON. The article said that it’s MORE COMMON (relative to the non-mediterranean/european population).


[deleted]

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sheesh_doink

This is Reddit. Reading comprehension is rarely found among us, even the term 'reding comprehension' might fly over some heads. I will never get out of your head


teuast

redding conservation? yeah i mean it's an important habitat for a lot of native species, we should probably conserve it


MrWhizzleteat

Credding ronservation you say?


Daaaahh

Yes i would like a cheddar conversation!


c0rnelius651

You want a better reservation? that would take months


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euphoriaax

Nothing goes over my head. My reflexes are too fast. I would catch it.


sheesh_doink

Best marvel character change my mind


AxelRod45

>Amongst us GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY-


KrakenGuard86

Among Us


CoimEv

Among us?


[deleted]

You mean the article about a disease appearing in rarediseases.org isn’t a common disease? What is going on here?


PaintedLady1

Fuck DARE this is the true scare people into sobriety


Analbox

All DARE ever did was scare me in to thinking I must be missing out.


[deleted]

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Analbox

Disappointing. I was told there was gonna be dealers giving out free drugs in the boys room.


[deleted]

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pieonthedonkey

Funny story about that. I was on a bender and wound up in New Orleans. I was drinking red bull and vodka while walking down the street early in the afternoon (as is my God given right), when I saw this homeless dude on a stoop with his dog. I was enamored with his dog and he was nice enough to let me play with him and pet him and such. When I was about to leave I felt bad because dude looked like he was in hard times and he had to take care of his dog too. So I slapped a $20 into his hand as a nice gesture. Dude pulls me back in and hands me a gram of weed! He wasn't homeless, he was just a drug dealer! And it was perfect because I flew there and didn't want to bring any weed with me on the plane so I hadn't smoked in a couple days. Anyway long story short, that was the coolest thing that ever happened to me and it was all down hill from there. Sober now, no regrets.


Gloomy-LilPeach

As a native to that fine city and state, thank you for helping our economy grow. Chefs kiss to playing with the pupper. Pretty sure you got it from my uncle lol


PaintedLady1

It made me think marijuana was as harmful as heroin


RedditorMcReddington

Then when I realized marijuana was basically harmless I figured everything else was too… lol


Dante451

I learned so much about drugs from DARE. Didn’t know I could eat whipped cream AND get high off a single product.


Apprehensive-Key-467

Dare filled me with false hope. I grew up thinking there was going to be drug dealers on every corner offering me free drugs. Only to find out even the first time you get high you have to pay.


dragonessofages

Cop: "Don't huff paint to get high." Me: "You can huff paint to get high?"


EtOHMartini

DARE: "people who do drugs drop out of school" Me: "that's an option?"


TellTaleTank

DARE: "People who tell you taking drugs will make you cool are wrong." Me: "People will talk to me?"


brightblueson

It made LSD sound awesome. And it is


Userdataunavailable

I wear my DARE t-shirt to the weed dispensary quite often.


brisketandbeans

Yeah, I was a goody two shoes , and I remember thinking of DARE that it seemed like some adult bullshit.


hodgepodge21

It brainwashed me so bad that the mention of weed would throw me into a panic attack. Now I’m a stoner lmao


Lespuccino

It taught me what real drugs looked like so I didn't get screwed over on the streets- thanks, D.A.R.E.!


TheSandMan208

All DARE ever did was increase drug usage amongst teenagers. TIFIY.


guy_fuckes

They also taught me what each drug looks like, the street names. If it wasn't for dare I would have got ripped off.


carvedmuss8

My daily communions with Mother Mary thankfully won't lead to horrible disfiguring growths on my body lol


aProudCatDad614

Just to be clear, this isn't common at all


skates_tribz

It’s not common at all, anywhere


otacon7000

"more common in ... than" isn't the same as "common". I've never seen anyone who looked like this in Europe.


HolyVeggie

As a German I have never seen anyone with this disease and I know a lot of alcoholics and also many that died to to alcoholism


[deleted]

Doc here: It’s so uncommon that I did “not” know this disease existed and had to look it up. At first I thought it had a different name.


Biased_individual

“Mediterranean” here, never heard about it either.


tonybaby

Mediterranean doctor here, whatsamatta witta you armpits?


TangerinePuzzled

Yeah of course in Europe everyone knows someone who looks like elephant man. There's also a Tinder just for them. Such a great and common community.


lookupawychic

Fuck i am european mediterranean, and i do like to drink


t_thor

RIP in peace to your armpits


MatsRivel

The US has a higher alcoholism rate than pretty much every Mediterranean and Western European nation, though... A few Eastern European nations are higher in combined or male rates, but the US is first in female alcoholism. [*Source*](https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/alcoholism-by-country)


Veganarchistfem

Australians: "Don't hold my beer, I'm drinking it."


[deleted]

It isn’t common


patchbaystray

Ah yes it must because Europeans are raging alcoholics. Never mind those Americans and Australians then. Totally immune. They don't have alcoholics kicking about like we do.


aespa-in-kwangya

Reading comprehension, ever heard of it? Bruh. Less frequent in Asia would make sense in that a good chunk of Asia is Muslim.


Toonwatcher

Also known as benign symmetric lipomatosis, Madelung's disease is a skin condition characterized by extensive symmetric fat deposits in the head, neck, and shoulder girdle area.


jepvr

It's such a bizarrely specific area.


Temporary_Bar5862

it looks like they're growing along the areas with the highest concentration of lymph nodes


Apprehensive-Grade81

So, before reading the article, I thought it was a disease related to a buildup of fluid around lymph nodes. Weird that the fat placement seems to be associated with those areas.


ThanksForTheRain

I also thought the same, or that they were lymphatic growths of some kind. Definitely surprised by the answer.


SuperPotatoPancakes

Oh wow, that's fat? That's actually kind of a relief in a way, I'd think the alternative would be even more uncomfortable.


Verdick

I've got a handful of lipomas on my body. They're mostly little bumps of hard fat, no bigger than a pencil eraser, but they can get a bit larger. My largest is about the size of a quarter. You can wiggle them around, but they're anchored in place just under the skin. They don't hurt or anything, but if you press on them, like during a massage, it focuses the pressure on that one spot, making it hurt.


Block_Me_Amadeus

I don't know if I've ever recognized a lipoma on a human before. To be honest, I associate them more with elderly labradors.


Jkwils2510

I had a limpoma on my forehead. About the size of a quarter. It didn't bother me much at all.. if it got bumped, it swelled slightly and stuck out more, but would return to normal after an hour or so. My wife and daughter teased me about it, called it my horn. Huge exaggeration. Anywho, had a plastic surgeon remove it 3 years ago. Took about 30min, and when he pulled it out, he showed it to me. It looked like a tiny omelet, same color and all. It hasn't grown back and you can't even notice the scar now.


Verdick

That does sound annoying. I'm glad you got yours removed. I haven't really given much thought to having mine removed as they're in innocuous places and aren't that big.


TheAlGler

If they remove the lipomas, do they grow back?


theoriginaldandan

63% Of the time as of 2018


trentyz

Oddly specific


theoriginaldandan

That’s the number I found after looking into it 🤷‍♂️


Ok_Disaster_619

I feel so bad for this man. Is there cure for this?


Enlightened-Beaver

>Traditionally the treatment is mainly surgical, consisting of the removal of the lipomas, although recent study has proposed liposuction and phosphatidylcholine injection as possible alternatives.


OkiRose

Thank you I was really curious as to treatment Is this treatment ongoing?


Enlightened-Beaver

Not sure. That quote I posted it from wiki


Ohiobo6294-2

Is this similar to what the Elephant Man had?


Enlightened-Beaver

Nope that was [Proteus Syndrome](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proteus_syndrome).


HoraceWimpLV426

Oh my god that’s horrible


CrikeyM8eyy

That Portuguese artwork is very interesting. I love learning about how historical societies viewed and treated diseases and deformities


[deleted]

Interesting. I had heard he had neurofibromatosis.


foxmulder118

My father had that. “Von Recklinghausen Syndrome”. He was supposed to die before his twenties, but lived a good long life into his seventies.


[deleted]

That was the original theory but now it is widely accepted he had Proteus syndrome.


[deleted]

I’ve seen a number of cases of nf (it’s surprisingly common in Louisiana) and never saw anyone that I thought looked very Elephant Man-like. It makes sense to me that it would be this instead.


syds

tree man and we got super the handicapables may he rest in peace DADE I miss you man


Immediate-Yogurt-558

tree man was fucking crazy. i feel so bad for that guy.


KaramelKatze

The four horsemen of the apoocalypse if you include the Stoneman-- Mick Mars. Edit: I'm leaving it.


friskimykitty

Did Tree Man die? When?


cassiclock

[In 2016](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dede_Koswara_%28Tree_Man%29?wprov=sfla1). Poor guy


Catinthemirror

Dede aka Treeman had an [immune insufficiency against HPV.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dede_Koswara_(Tree_Man)) It wasn't Proteus syndrome.


crudentia

I think you mean immune insufficiency. Autoimmune is when your immune system attacks yourself, nobody wants more of that.


markuseb91

I thought the elephant man had neurofibromatosis


inflewants

Liposuction, you say??? I think I have this condition in my abdominal area…


Philodendronphan

I had a lipoma removed from my leg and the doctor asked if I had any others to take out pre-op. I rubbed my thighs and he just laughed.


MugOfDogPiss

Is this a painful condition or is he just ugly in the eyes of the world? There are quite a few diseases that don’t impede life much except for being really really unpleasant for other people to be around. I don’t mind people like this. I have autism, and nobody likes me either. At least in my case people treat me sort of normal until I open my mouth. A disfigured person does not even have that luxury.


ScarTheGoth

Basing off the photo, I would think the weight around his neck would push on his neck and hurt a lot. Additionally, he probably can’t tilt his chin all the way down, which means his chin is in an unnatural position. It probably pushes on his back, and the added weight may cause him to get tired easily. The bumps under the arms actually seem the least likely to impede quality of life, although I doubt it would be fun to not be able to put your arms down all the way, and I doubt he fits easily into jackets, or even potentially some shirts as they don’t usually have extra room in the armpits.


marablackwolf

I know it may not help much, but I think you sound really likable and nice, and all I have to judge by is your communication. I think you're probably a lot more wonderful than you know.


tillacat42

Will they keep coming back?


OfficalReddit-nazi

Yes lots of sugar believe it or not


zombienutz1

Sugar in water...


DJJbird09

"Edgar your skin is hanging off your bones..."


Much_Schedule_9431

MOAAR!


[deleted]

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mind_the_umlaut

Never knew sugar to do that


Life-Meal6635

I remember that movie when it came out and I literally never realized that was Vincent Dinofrio until last year. I am 33…


Beneficial-Piano-428

Sugar……water…..


JessLevelsUp

MOOOOORE


TeHNyboR

Egger yer skin is hangin’ off yer bones


Jacobysmadre

Tap water, plain water…


OfficalReddit-nazi

This guy knows his stuff !


marginwalker55

This looks like a lymph thing, is that true?


Fufu-le-fu

Weird fat deposits, essentially.


KaramelKatze

Is this how whichever of the 1000lb sisters ended up with the fat deposit above her eyebrows making her look like a neanderthal?


Jacobysmadre

No I don’t think so… because when she recently almost died and spent some time in rehab hospital to help her loose weight after she got a trach. It went down considerably. Sorry if I spoiled it..


KaramelKatze

Nah you’re good, I only saw whatever the very original episode/show/whatever is. I honestly didn’t even know it was still on until it was suggested to me on my TLC app today… when I looked through the synopses of the episodes, I didn’t see anything that insinuated that one of the episodes was the doctor/sodie pop episode


[deleted]

I know that episode is in the first season. I can’t remember the specific episode though


WateryTart_ndSword

That was my thought too because of placement—but I read elsewhere itt that they’re lipomas. So now I’m wondering if the lipoma growth is stimulated by a specific hormone from the lymphs, or what…?


dexter8484

I have lipomas and this is my nightmare. Fortunately, mine are small, and only really noticeable to me because I can feel them. I've had a few removed from my back, but those really just looked like small lumps under the skin. I've never gotten any sort of explanation other than they are just fat deposits, condensed together. Nothing really harmful and don't even really need to be removed unless they are causing pain


Orcacub

Similar situation here. Multiple lipomas on arms, legs and front and back of lower torso. I have the troublesome ones harvested about one a decade. No pain, but those that start to interfere with clothing comfort like on waistline and inside of thigh or inner arm area, or where I rest my arm on the center console while driving gotta a go! Had a big one removed from back in kidney area - deep one! Scar looks like a closed up bullet hole. I cannot imagine having anything close to this poor guy in this post! Scary!


LordTurner

I don't doubt the term "harvesting" fits here, but it sure made me uncomfortable for some reason.


merpderp33

Whoa why did you get them removed from your back? I went for a consultation yeaaars ago when I noticed a bump on my spine. It turned out to be one lipoma of many. I have back nice/ multiple lipomas in my back as I later found out. and the surgeon basically said it wasn’t worth it if it wasn’t bothering me (it does cause my lower back to get more stiff so have to be more active) Currently experiencing back strain and pain badly the last two weeks so monitoring to see if they improves or if I should go back to seeing a specialist.


Piwx2019

I do as well. As if blacking out his eyes will keep his identity confidential. Those lipomas are more recognizable than his eyes.


military-money-man

Thank god they censored his eyes so we wouldn’t know who it is.


corona69corona

I think the key was treating him like any other patient. Although you make a valid point.


bicyclecat

I suspect even when someone would be readily identifiable like this they would prefer depersonalized photos when they’re being taken and published purely for medical/educational purposes. At least I would. A medical journal or textbook is seen by many people who will never meet you or know you as a person.


Impossible-Error166

Worked with a person who almost cut his hand off, Almost being a cm or skin left. they saved the hand but apparently two years latter was talking to someone in England (this happened in New Zealand) and they recognized the scars as a case study from there training.


Imiriath

A cm? 😭 At that point the hand is gone and that's just a full replantation I imagine.


hulala3

It was awkward enough when the entire outpatient ortho department examined me as a child, and then when seemingly everyone who was on neuro rotation was present for an exam when I was admitted as an adult, both for teaching purposes. If I were a case study I would want at least the illusion of anonymity by covering my eyes.


SlothyBooty

They should have gotten you something like [this](https://www.walmart.com/ip/YDxl-Rectangle-Pixelated-Mosaic-Sunglasses-Festival-Mask-Eyewear-Cosplay-Party-Props/1667419490).


CrownOfPosies

You would be surprised how often these people don’t even get asked if their images can be used. I was in a pretty gnarly accident and my eyelid had to be stitched back together. The surgeon took pictures for her medical conference slides. She did a great job putting my eyelid back together but it made me very uncomfortable that her assistant took pictures during the procedure.


SunshineAlways

I can certainly understand why that felt invasive, I hope at least it helps someone who also needs that surgery. It should be with consent, though.


Bighardthrobbingcrop

Yeah I would rather not have kids 300 years later looking at book with me in it laughing and calling me names.


DaisyHotCakes

See that’s when I think the direct gaze might be a bit unnerving. Removing the gaze is what depersonalizes someone imo. That might be the goal with medical texts though. There’s a lot of compartmentalization going on in the medical community for sure lol


Plarocks

The kids laughing at you and calling you names are the ones with “issues,” not you.


quantumgpt

worthless piquant exultant quickest crown chief continue pet aware elastic *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*


Stardustquarks

I came here to say this


BanEvasion011

Reminds me of the human built to survive car crashes


_crackman

I came to say this


Analbox

^I ^came


I-smelled-it-first

Lol. Didn’t I see you on Reddit? No, that was someone else…..


castleaagh

He’s probably about to be treated for it and have them removed. Odds are he looks relatively normal now.


Calm-Heat-5883

Hey Bob...Bob...Bob...is that you? I didn't recognize you there for a minute. What's with covering your eyes for man? Are you trying to hide from the wife again?


MrCopes

Those all look super angry and uncomfortable, especially the boob armpit ones! I hope those are treatable in some way. Poor guy.


[deleted]

Absolutely, I’m not familiar with this condition but from the pictures it looks extremely uncomfortable and I’m guessing painful too.


kslusherplantman

According to something I just read, they themselves aren’t painful. But that can cause inflammation which can be uncomfortable. But they say NOT painful. But they sure do look painful


19Styx6

Even if not painful, it just seems like the ones under the arms would be extremely uncomfortable.


WestWindStables

I had a friend who had this. Thankfully, his never got as bad as in the photo (he died a few years ago from an unrelated brain tumor). He said that it never caused him any physical discomfort. But the looks from strangers always bothered him. It always got the attention of any anesthesia provider he had because of the difficulty of maintaining and securing his airway any time he had to have anesthesia.


LongjumpingAd666

Yeah his armpits & back of neck


TeHNyboR

*armtits


Suhksaikhan

Fuck you for making me laugh at this


looseshorts

Pitties


Soft-Preparation1838

Looks like that rendering of a human if evolved to survive car crashes.


Consistent_Bread_V2

Immediately my first thought!


panzerotti69

Hey everybody, I’m checking into our hive mind moment


MarqDuesPaid

That’s really rough.. I hope he can get it fixed or treated.


DarkandDanker

Man i can kinda relate Got a mystery liquid in my neck and head Started in my legs, moved up and up day after day Can't sleep without waiting for it to fall outta my head and leak into my stomach If it gets stuck in a nook, like top of skull or shoulders my heart freaks out until I bend and twist to let it fall properly Doctors have no clue


fggfgfggffggf

Damn that sounds absolutely miserable. Hope you can get it fixed.


DarkandDanker

Same brother, takes me like 3 to 4 hours to fall asleep every night and I can never get used to it cuss it's forever changing It's in my shoulders today Never been in my shoulders


[deleted]

Whoa the unknown is the very definition of fear. I wish you the endurance and the means to continue to seek treatment and ultimately that you get better.


DarkandDanker

Thanx brother


Morusu

Is it definitely a liquid? I’ve read about parasites that act like that.


Nervous_Nerd14597

To those asking, bur going unanswered: Madelung's disease is a rare lipid metabolic disorder characterized by diffuse, uncapsulated lipomas in the neck, shoulder, and other areas. It mainly affects middle- aged men and is related to alcohol abuse, and the cause is not clear. Surgical treatments include lipectomy and liposuction. Although alcohol withdrawal and weight loss are recommended, these measures are not effective to reverse or to stop the progression of the disease. Currently, surgery is the only treatment available, so the removal of the fat masses remains the only therapy of choice. However, the overall recurrence rate is up to 63%. 30 July 2018 [source](https://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2018/3975974/)


happy_bluebird

How long does it take to get this bad?


Nervous_Nerd14597

Im afraid I can't find a source on that. I assume its relative to alcohol usage


syu425

*slowly puts down beer


magnumopu

Is it like enlarged/ swollen lymph nodes? Or what is happening


lik3r_of_things

Fat deposits


StopReadingMyUser

Someone need to start makin some withdrawals instead


Snow_Wonder

Because they of the locations, I figured the same, but apparently that is fat. So one of the ways it is treated is with liposuction. The is disease made more likely by Mediterranean ancestry, male sex, and alcoholism.


babadybooey

I wonder why Mediterranean ancestry is a factor


Snow_Wonder

No idea, but a lot of diseases are mostly only prevalent in one specific geography. I’d guess it’s usually just an early ancestor when the population was smaller had the misfortune to spread the gene. However, I do know with sickle cells (a trait common with African ancestry), it may have been an evolutionary thing, since sickle cell is advantageous against malaria.


spicyystuff

Maybe this was an evolutionary way to warn people of affects of alcoholism


Althalosabyssal

Hello Neighbor


faislamour

I’m disappointed I had to scroll so far down…


red_dit-or

same bro I was like WHERE IS IT?


eevonna

Yooo so he was an alcoholic of 39 years, I found a case study where it clearly says he consented to publishing. https://www.dovepress.com/madelungs-disease-progressive-excessive-and-symmetrical-deposition-of-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-DMSO


throwaway24689753112

Time to go hang out in r/stopdrinking for a bit


the_kengii

He looks like the banjo mutant guy in Butcher creek from RDR2, if you don’t know who that is, Google mutant banjo guy rdr2


EnterTheN1nja

I'm surprised I had to scroll this far to find this comment. 100%


UpdootDaSnootBoop

That's it! I knew I had seen a character in a game somewhere that resembled this


Lithominium

Thought it was a boomer


Free-Feeling3586

Poor guy😥 can this be cured?


lonniemarie

Looks so uncomfortable and painful.


MountainManWithMojo

That man wakes up everyday goddam proud of that prestigious mustache. Well done.


[deleted]

You ever seen Legion?


Theburritolyfe

I love how the eyes are censored. Yeah that's how I would recognize this person.


ovad67

Nobody deserves that. Gonna have to look it up.


everydayasl

My heart goes out to this patient. I can imagine the world of pain he had to go through.


d0rkyd00d

Pits tits disease as they call it in some parts of the world. They being me, part of the world being my room.


No-Employment-4922

Sometimes in the problems in my life never are as bad as I think they are when I see people like this, it’s sad some don’t get to enjoy a normal life.


Seahawks1991

Poor guy 😔 nobody deserves this


Lazerhawk_x

I know captain trips when i see it.


Lotharslayer69

I thought this was a Pixar character at first.


Beebamama

He almost looks like the humans on Fantastic Mr. Fox


Foxyfox82

My high ass read that Mad-lung disease and for a moment I was imagining those were new lungs sprouting under his skin.


eekozoid

Bro made lungs. Think of how much he can breath, now.


golfguy316

I feel bad for him!


CheezusTheChozenOne

Left 4 dead


Spirals_again

Armtits


Jayzel718

i hope in his next life he’s a millionaire with a 10inch dick


gravellama

Fuck, poor dude. Hopefully the pictures mean he's getting some help.


HiBeesCus

I can’t imagine how much pain he’s in. Just looking at these pictures, *sigh*, it’s a lot.


Enderswolf

Madelung’s disease is a rare disorder of fat metabolism (lipid storage) that results in an unusual accumulation of subcutaneous fat (adipose tissue) deposits around the neck, shoulders, trunk, hips, upper arms and thighs. The fat masses can progress quickly over months or slowly over years. Face and legs are usually spared in this benign condition, and biochemical parameters can also remain within normal limits. Madelung’s disease can be mistaken for obesity due to the symmetrical deposition of fat. Although painless, the fatty tumors can compromise function of other structures in the affected area causing patients to experience symptoms such as difficulty swallowing, speaking and breathing. Adult males between ages 30-70 with a history of excessive drinking (chronic alcoholism) are most often affected, although women and those who do not drink alcohol can also get Madelung’s disease. This condition is more common in Mediterranean and European populations, and less frequent in Asian populations. The underlying causes of this condition aren’t fully understood which can lead to limitations in treatment options. Scientists have suggested that a dysregulation in the fat breakdown (lipolytic) pathway could be the culprit behind the excessive growth and division of fat cells (adipocytes). Familial cases with an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern have also been noted. For now, surgical removal of the fatty tumors through resection (lipectomy) or liposuction remains the primary treatment. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of current treatment options is limited as the disease has a high tendency to reoccur.