Congenital analgesia is a rare syndrome where the patient is unaffected by pain. In one variety, the person with the disorder does not undergo pain at all (although he will detect sensations such as something brushing against his skin or changes in temperature); in another version, the individual feels pain, but it simply does not bother him.
Although this condition could be beneficial if you are prizefighting, being tortured, or babysitting my daughter's vicious cat, it generally is not a good thing to have. Victims of this disorder, especially when they are young, often suffer exacerbated injuries or fail to have diseases timely diagnosed simply because they are unaware that anything is wrong. A child with this affliction can often be found with the tip of his tongue bitten off or foreign objects in his eye or parts of his body without him even being aware of it.
Nearly 40 cases of the syndrome have been reported in Gallivare, a small town in Sweden.
For a first-hand report by someone inflicted with this syndrome, please click here.
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