The Weirdest Medical Cases of 2025 - Gizmodo

The Weirdest Medical Cases of 2025: 10 bizarre case reports and the real health lessons behind them

From cholesterol leaking through skin to a leech hiding in a nostril, 2025 delivered a wild lineup of medical oddities. Here are the most unforgettable cases and what they teach about rare risks hiding in everyday life.

• Butter-handed man: A Florida man in his 40s developed yellow nodules on his hands and elbows after an extreme carnivore diet packed with 6–9 pounds of cheese, lots of butter, and fatty burgers. Diagnosis: xanthelasma from sky-high cholesterol. The skin change is harmless, but it signals serious cardiovascular risk.

• A deeply unlucky kidney transplant: A kidney recipient in Ohio died from rabies a month after surgery; it became Michigan’s first rabies case in about 15 years and only the fourth US transplant-related rabies cluster since 1978. Three corneal graft recipients from the same donor had grafts removed and received prophylaxis; all stayed healthy.

• The brain-eating RV amoeba: A Texas woman died from Naegleria fowleri after nasal irrigation using RV tap water. Primary amebic meningoencephalitis is almost uniformly fatal; only about 150 US cases have been reported since the 1960s. Lesson: use distilled, sterile, or boiled then cooled water for nasal rinses; the RV system lacked proper disinfection.

• THC-laced pizza: Nearly 100 customers at Famous Yeti’s Pizza in Stoughton, Wisconsin were unintentionally dosed over three days in October 2024 when a shared kitchen’s THC oil was mistaken for cooking oil. Seven people were hospitalized; eight children were affected, including one brief case of hallucinations. No serious injuries; the restaurant recovered.

• Worst toothbrushing ever: A 50-year-old in Tokyo fainted mid-brush; the toothbrush scraped the back of his throat, trapping air and raising infection risk. He spent a week in the hospital and fully recovered. A 2023 report described an even worse toothbrush impalement case.

• The pregnancy that wasn’t: In India, a 38-year-old with a positive urine pregnancy test and suspected ectopic pregnancy actually had a rare non-gestational ovarian choriocarcinoma, a pure NGOC subtype that represents about 0.6% of ovarian germ cell tumors. Surgery plus chemotherapy produced a complete response, with follow-up planned.

• The nose-sucking leech: A 38-year-old in China with stubborn nosebleeds was found to have a live leech in his right nostril, likely acquired after washing his face with mountain spring water. Doctors removed it with a suction catheter; no lasting issues.

• Milk-leaking armpits: A 35-year-old in the Philippines had ectopic breast tissue along her armpits that lactated during pregnancies. Symptoms resolved after breastfeeding ended. She was advised to monitor the tissue because it shares standard breast cancer risks.

• Death by burger: University of Virginia researchers reported the first known fatality from alpha-gal syndrome, the tick-triggered allergy to red meat. A 47-year-old New Jersey man died hours after eating a burger; lab results confirmed a severe alpha-gal reaction. Up to an estimated 450,000 Americans have developed the syndrome since 2010.

• The energy drink stroke: In the UK, a healthy 50-year-old who drank about eight energy drinks a day—roughly 1.3 grams of caffeine—suffered a stroke driven by dangerously high blood pressure. He quit immediately; blood pressure normalized within a week, with minor residual numbness. Doctors called for greater awareness and potential regulation.

Bottom line: Rare does not mean impossible. Choices around diet, water sanitation, caffeine, and safe food handling can prevent outsized harm.

Source: https://gizmodo.com/the-weirdest-medical-cases-of-2025-2000699833