Woman sweats blood from her face and hands; doctors say she is normal

pulse-ghana admin 09:04 - 25 October 2017

The cause of the woman's condition is not known, because several tests conducted on her indicated that her blood count and blood clotting functions were normal.

The University of Florence doctors have witnessed a rare medical condition in which a woman was sweating blood from her face and hands despite no cuts.

Writing in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, the doctors said "Our patient had become socially isolated owing to embarrassment over the bleeding and she reported symptoms consistent with major depressive disorder and panic disorder.”

The doctors ruled out "factitious disorder," after various tests conducted on her indicated that her blood count and blood clotting functions were normal.

The woman was diagnosed of hematohidrosis, an extremely rarely-reported disease that causes blood to be excreted through unbroken skin or pores.

The doctors said the cause of the condition is not known, but theories include conditions that impair blood clotting and psychogenetic conditions, which result from extreme emotional responses triggering physical symptoms.

The study stated that "In the literature, there is no single explanation of the source of bleeding in hematohidrosis."

The woman was then treated with beta blocker propranolol, commonly prescribed for heart and blood pressure conditions.

She has since seen a drastic reduction in the symptoms, but the bleeding did not stop entirely.