Modern medicine has done much to erradicate and cure disease, but it has failed in some areas. Of those areas, at least one disease that cannot be cured is suffered by many people in the world every year – the common cold. This is a list of the top ten incurable diseases. As always, click the images for a larger view. NOTE: There are no graphic images in this post.
10. EbolaWikipedia
Ebola is a virus of the family Filoviridae that is responsible for a severe and often fatal viral hemorrhagic fever; outbreaks in primates such as gorillas and chimpanzees as well as humans have been recorded. The disease is characterized by extreme fever, rash, and profuse hemorrhaging. In humans, fatality rates range from 50 to 90 percent.
The virus takes its name from the Ebola River in the northern Congo basin of central Africa, where it first emerged in 1976. Outbreaks that year in Zaire (now Congo [Kinshasa]) and The Sudan resulted in hundreds of deaths, as did another outbreak in Zaire in 1995. Ebola is closely related to the Marburg virus, which was discovered in 1967, and the two are the only members of the Filoviridae that cause epidemic human disease. A third related agent, called Ebola Reston, caused an epidemic in laboratory monkeys in Reston, Virginia, but apparently is not fatal to humans.
9. PolioWikipedia
Polio is known in full as poliomyelitis – also called infantile paralysis. It is an acute viral infectious disease of the nervous system that usually begins with general symptoms such as fever, headache, nausea, fatigue, and muscle pains and spasms and is sometimes followed by a more serious and permanent paralysis of muscles in one or more limbs, the throat, or the chest. More than half of all cases of polio occur in children under the age of five. The paralysis so commonly associated with the disease actually affects fewer than 1 percent of persons infected by the poliovirus.
Between 5 and 10 percent of infected persons display only the general symptoms outlined above, and more than 90 percent show no signs of illness at all. For those infected by the poliovirus, there is no cure, and in the mid-20th century hundreds of thousands of children were struck by the disease every year. Since the 1960s, thanks to widespread use of polio vaccines, polio has been eliminated from most of the world, and it is now endemic only in several countries of Africa and South Asia. Approximately 1,000–2,000 children are still paralyzed by polio each year, most of them in India.
8. Lupus ErythematosusWikipedia
Also often referred to simply as lupus, this is an autoimmune disorder that causes chronic inflammation in various parts of the body. Three main types of lupus are recognized—discoid, systemic, and drug-induced.
Discoid lupus affects only the skin and does not usually involve internal organs. The term discoid refers to a rash of distinct reddened patches covered with grayish brown scales that may appear on the face, neck, and scalp. In about 10 percent of people with discoid lupus, the disease will evolve into the more severe systemic form of the disorder.
Systemic lupus erythematosus is the most common form of the disease. It may affect virtually any organ or structure of the body, especially the skin, kidneys, joints, heart, gastrointestinal tract, brain, and serous membranes (membranous linings of organs, joints, and cavities of the body.) While systemic lupus can affect any area of the body, most people experience symptoms in only a few organs. The skin rash, if present, resembles that of discoid lupus. In general, no two people will have identical symptoms. The course of the disease is also variable and is marked by periods when the disease is active and by other periods when symptoms are not evident (remission).
7. InfluenzaWikipedia
Influenza, also known as the flu, or grippe, is an acute viral infection of the upper or lower respiratory tract that is marked by fever, chills, and a generalized feeling of weakness and pain in the muscles, together with varying degrees of soreness in the head and abdomen.
Influenza is caused by any of several strains of orthomyxoviruses, categorized as types A, B, and C. The three major types generally produce similar symptoms but are completely unrelated antigenically, so that infection with one type confers no immunity against the others. The A viruses cause the great influenza epidemics, and the B viruses cause smaller localized outbreaks; the C viruses are not important causes of disease in humans. Between pandemics, the viruses undergo constant, rapid evolution (a process called antigenic drift) in response to the pressures of human population immunity. Periodically, they undergo major evolutionary change by acquiring a new genome segment from another influenza virus (antigenic shift), effectively becoming a new subtype to which none, or very few, of the population is immune.
6. Creutzfeldt-Jakob DiseaseWikipedia
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a rare fatal degenerative disease of the central nervous system. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease occurs throughout the world at an incidence of one person in a million; however, among certain populations, such as Libyan Jews, rates are somewhat higher. The disease commonly occurs in adults between the ages of 40 and 70, although some young adults have been stricken with the disease. Both men and women are affected equally. The onset of the disease is usually characterized by vague psychiatric or behavioral changes, which are followed within weeks or months by a progressive dementia that is often accompanied by abnormal vision and involuntary movements. There is no known cure for the disease, which is usually fatal within a year of the onset of symptoms.
The disease was first described in the 1920s by the German neurologists Hans Gerhard Creutzfeldt and Alfons Maria Jakob. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is similar to other neurodegenerative diseases such as kuru, a human disorder, and scrapie, which occurs in sheep and goats. All three diseases are types of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, so called because of the characteristic spongelike pattern of neuronal destruction that leaves brain tissue filled with holes.
5. DiabetesWikipedia
Diabetes is a disorder of carbohydrate metabolism characterized by impaired ability of the body to produce or respond to insulin and thereby maintain proper levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood.
There are two major forms of the disease. Type I diabetes, formerly referred to as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and juvenile-onset diabetes, usually arises in childhood. It is an autoimmune disorder in which the diabetic person’s immune system produces antibodies that destroy the insulin-producing beta cells. Because the body is no longer able to produce insulin, daily injections of the hormone are required.
Type II diabetes, formerly called non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and adult-onset diabetes, usually occurs after 40 years of age and becomes more common with increasing age. It arises from either sluggish pancreatic secretion of insulin or reduced responsiveness in target cells of the body to secreted insulin. It is linked to genetics and obesity, notably upper-body obesity. People with type II diabetes can control blood glucose levels through diet and exercise and, if necessary, by taking insulin injections or oral medications.
4. HIV/AIDSWikipedia
AIDS is the byname of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome – a transmissible disease of the immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV slowly attacks and destroys the immune system, the body’s defense against infection, leaving an individual vulnerable to a variety of other infections and certain malignancies that eventually cause death. AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection, during which time fatal infections and cancers frequently arise.
HIV/AIDS spread to epidemic proportions in the 1980s, particularly in Africa, where the disease may have originated. Spread was likely facilitated by several factors, including increasing urbanization and long-distance travel in Africa, international travel, changing sexual mores, and intravenous drug use. According to the United Nations 2004 report on AIDS, some 38 million people are living with HIV, approximately 5 million people become infected annually, and about 3 million people die each year from AIDS. Some 20 million people have died of the disease since 1981.
3. AsthmaWikipedia
Asthma is a chronic disorder of the lungs in which inflamed airways are prone to constrict, causing episodes of breathlessness, wheezing, coughing, and chest tightness that range in severity from mild to life-threatening. Inflamed airways become hypersensitive to a variety of stimuli, including dust mites, animal dander, pollen, air pollution, cigarette smoke, medications, weather conditions, and exercise. Stress can exacerbate symptoms.
Asthmatic episodes may begin suddenly or may take days to develop. Although an initial episode can occur at any age, about half of all cases occur in persons younger than 10 years of age, with boys being affected more often than girls. Among adults, however, the incidence of asthma is approximately equal in men and women. When asthma develops in childhood, it is often associated with an inherited susceptibility to allergens, substances such as pollen, dust mites, or animal dander that may induce an allergic reaction. In adults, asthma also may develop in response to allergens, but viral infections, aspirin, and exercise may cause the disease as well. Adults who develop asthma may have nasal polyps or sinusitis.
2. CancerWikipedia
Cancer refers to a group of more than 100 distinct diseases characterized by the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body. Cancer affects one in every three persons born in developed countries and is a major cause of sickness and death throughout the world. Though it has been known since antiquity, significant improvements in cancer treatment have been made since the middle of the 20th century, mainly through a combination of timely and accurate diagnosis, selective surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapeutic drugs. Such advances actually have brought about a decrease in cancer deaths (at least in developed countries), and grounds for further optimism are seen in laboratory investigations into elucidating the causes and mechanisms of the disease.
Owing to continuing advances in cell biology, genetics, and biotechnology, researchers now have a fundamental understanding of what goes wrong in a cancer cell and in an individual who develops cancer—and these conceptual gains are steadily being converted into further progress in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of this disease.
1. The Common ColdWikipedia
The common cold is an acute viral infection that starts in the upper respiratory tract, sometimes spreads to the lower structures, and may cause secondary infections in the eyes or middle ears. More than 100 agents cause the common cold, including parainfluenza, influenza, respiratory syncytial viruses, and reoviruses. Rhinoviruses, however, are the most frequent cause.
The popular term common cold reflects the feeling of chilliness on exposure to a cold environment that is part of the onset of symptoms. The feeling was originally believed to have a cause-and-effect relationship with the disease, but this is now known to be incorrect. The cold is caught from exposure to infected people, not from a cold environment, chilled wet feet, or drafts. People can carry the virus and communicate it without experiencing any of the symptoms themselves. Incubation is short — usually one to four days. The viruses start spreading from an infected person before the symptoms appear, and the spread reaches its peak during the symptomatic phase.
Notable Exclusions: Cystic Fibrosis, Multiple sclerosis
I think you should have put a huge spoiler alert at the top, You just gave way nine episodes of House, it’s never Lupus so only nine.
Growing up, I always had this crazy idea that cancerous mutations were in fact the next stage in human evolution – that they would bring some enormous advantage to us, if only the body didn’t try so hard to reject them that it stopped functioning.
Of course I know better now. It’s still a pleasant romantic thought, though.
Mr Ed: I don’t get the reference…
Barns: I can understand the thinking – it is a shame real life doesn’t follow though
I only knew of seven of those. Now I have three more diseases to worry about!
Anthony: you need to read item 6 on Top 10 Tips for Self Improvement.
i’m amused by the shocked reaction of people when i tell them that i have been diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (fancy name for COLD).
now i can say it’s incurable too!
Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease is a much more serious than a common cold. It is an umbrella term for emphysema, bronchitis, bronchactasis and several others. It is not used for the common cold.
Other non-mentioned symptoms of the common cold:
-You feel one nostril blocked. Then, the other one. Then, both.
-Due to this, the mouth needs to be constantly open. (For we have the annoying habit of breathing). Both this and your now tomato-red nose give a real *****y expression to your face.
-Here comes the fun: Sneezing. Specially if you have a headache. It hurts if you sneeze “outwards”, so you try to contain it inside and sneeze “inwards”, and you cause yourself an internal explosion.
If it wasn’t for our mummies bringing orange juice, it would be a living hell
Is the a good reason that I’m not realizing for the omission of alzheimers?
Kelsi: I forgot to mention in the head of the article that I was excluding mental related illnesses – otherwise schizophrenia would be on there too. Only physical illnesses are included.
ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is one of the most scary ones, to me. The mother of one of my best friends died of ALS.
Warren
Oh…so number 6 still counts? It’s a rather fine line. Alzheimer’s is a physical disease-plaques containing beta amyloid build up in the brain. I can definately see your arguement for including Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Aw, only phsyical… I was gonna say idiocy is an incurable disease.
Warren: That is indeed a terrible disease. For those who don’t know, it is the disease that Stephen Hawking has.
Kelsi: It is always a fine line here
I like to live on the edge!
Adam W: Let’s hope someone comes up with a vaccine for that one soon
with the right care it can be managble
jfrater: House in case you didnt know is a medical drama on Fox about a diognostics department ina hospital and each episode tends to focus on a patient with wierd symptoms and they try to diognose what the problem is. One of the common suggestions(infact used in almost every episode)is lupus. But its never lupus. If that makes any sense.
yea and the one who said it wasnt lupus this time suggests its lupus next time
Juggz: ah – thanks – that makes much more sense now
It’s an excellent show, I highly recommend checking it out. Which brings me to a list suggestion.
Most Misdiagnosed illnesses/diseases.
Juggz: I will – and great idea for a list! It is noted. Thanks
I’m not sure incurable is the appropriate adjective for the list. It’s like we’re admitting defeat…
wow i thought cancer would be first…or diabetes…i didnt even know the common cold was uncurable…weird
I would have thought that Cystic Fibrosis would get in before the common cold ?
i thought of muscular dystrophy nearly first thing, but thats cause one of my friends little brothers has it.
The reason Lupus is so often used on House is because it is a very sneaky disease, with a huge variety of symptoms. Its nickname is “The Great Imitator” because is so often imitates some other disease. Doctors have gotten wise to its ways to some extent, but it is still one of those diseases that often takes months or years of wandering from doctor to doctor before one of them has an “Ahah!!!” moment and realizes what they are looking at. Often, the real clue is during one of those periods when the patient is showing the Malar/Butterfly rash on the face that gives them a somewhat ‘wolf-like’ appearance.
And darn it, someone beat me to it. Idiocy/Stupidity definitely shows signs of being incurable. The only remedy seems to be a sincere attempt to make it to the top of this years Darwin Awards.
Interesting comments guys – thanks
Ebola is one serious virus – a very good book to read on the subject is The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hot_Zone
fabrulana: I have read that book – it is very good.
The wolf-like appearance symptom is surely why it’s called “lupus”(latin for “wolf”).
I thought, too, that the common flu or the cold are cured when the symptoms end, but it’s just that, the symptoms are gone, but not the illness.
I think that some kinds of bronchitis are also chronical, too, aren’t they?
After 31 years of injections and blood testing I received a kidney/pancreas transplant. Not considered a ‘cure’ for diabetes, more another way of controlling it, but it’s as good as a cure to me, that’s for sure.
Morgaine: that is correct I think. I am not sure about bronchitis, but emphysema is a chronic incurable illness.
Barb: wow – congratulations on having a successful transplant – I am please to know that it is tantamount to a cure for you.
I think it should be noted that many cancers also have a viral link. HPV is a major cause of cervical, penis, mouth and throat cancer for example. Some evidence suggest certain types of Leukemia may also be either caused or exacerbated by viral infections. Viruses are a parasite and need living cells to reproduce. They have been shown to mutate cells which is why they can actually cause cancer in some cases.
soonerproud: I was not aware of that – thanks for sharing that information. I find cancer one of the scariest diseases of all because you simply can’t do a thing to prevent it (well – I guess that depends – I tend to think it has some connection to genetics).
True it has connections to genetics, environmental factors, and lifestyle. That is what makes it so difficult to predict who will and will not get cancer. There are so many different things that are linked to cancer it is almost guaranteed most of us will have some form of cancer in our lifetime.
It scares me too jfrater. Both of my parents have had cancer. My Mom survived breast cancer for over 25 years now but my Dad died from complications related to his treatment from cancer. (He had lung cancer.) I have an aunt that died from breast cancer along with a Uncle and cousin (He was born the same year as I and died last year.)from Leukemia. I have another Uncle with Leukemia and my paternal grandmother has had skin cancer. I have a lot of other relatives that died from or have/had cancer.
So yeah, it scares the holy hell out of me.
soonerproud: wow – that is a lot of devastation in one family – I am very sorry to hear that.
LYME DISEASE! Did you leave that out? Ihave had it for over 3 years and it is not responding to treatment.
doris: It is not included because if it is caught early it can be cured. I was just reading about the methods for curing and I can’t believe the massive doses of anti-biotics that doctors prescribe for it. Are you taking those or another treatment because of it being present for so long?
I don’t know if a high number of people who have contracted or died of it is a requirement for this list, but another one I think worth noting is progeria. It is a horrible disease that more or less speeds up the body’s aging process to the point that you have 9 year olds who look like they are 90. It is not a common disease, but the effects are shocking nevertheless. It is also incurable.
Heart disease in the number 1 cause of death for Americans and it is not always due to lifestyle. Not all of us who have heart disease are fat and lazy. Some of us actually exercise and are vegetarians. It is treatable but not curable. Not including it on the list just makes all of us that deal with heart disease realize that it is never taken seriously and continually remains the subject of jokes. I don’t hear any jokes about cancer!
…and what about CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease & End-Stage Renal Disease)? It is never reversible, always gets worse – and even the “cures” are never cures…0nly temporary treatments: renal hemodialysis and kidney transplant. There is much more to kidney disease than is believed, and it causes numerous, life-threatening illnesses in and of themselves, such as severe anemia, osteoporosis, peripheral neuropathy, diabetes, etc. etc.
This is a really strange list. “Ten 10″ by what
criteria??? Not deadliness: few people die of
colds, and few (percentage wise) die of
influenza. And millions of people, in the West,
*are cured* of cancer. By total number of people affected? Ebola and CJ disease are very
rare diseases. Why are they on it, rather
than say, Alzheimer’s and malaria, which affect and kill far more people? Among the autoimmune disease, why is lupus and not the (by some statistics) more common multiple sclerosis?
Some of the diseases are infectious/acute,
others are chronic. Many affect the developed world disportionately, yet polio, which is all but unknown in the developed world these days,
is included. (As is HIV/AIDS, which affects
the non-West disapproprionately.) The only
common factor I can see is that none of the
genetic diseases (sickle cell anemia, progeria,
cystic fibrosis, etc) are included.
Very arbitrary list, from what what I figure.
one of the more terrifying physical diseases, i think, is FOP (fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva). i happen to be doing a physiology project on it, so it was pretty much the first one i thought of when i saw this list. but i’m not surprised it’s not on here because it’s so incredibly rare: 1 in 2 million people, i think.
it basically causes people to “turn to stone” as a result of spontaneous and progressive ossification of muscles and other connective tissues.
anyway, very interesting list!
I’ll add another to the list: CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) and ESRD (End-State Renal Disease). In and of itself, it’s bad e3nough…but kidney disease also causes innumerable other diseases/problems, including severe (and I mean severe) muscle spasms in the hands/arms, feet/legs; It causes severe, life-threatening anemia; it casues peripheral neuropathy, it causes diabetes…the list goes on and on. And it causes serious financial hardship even with health insurance and prescription drug insurance – my monthly costs (co-pays) for my Rx’s alone are over $900. ONE of the many medications I take retails for over $8000.00 for a 3-month supply. It’s taken by injection weekly, and each 0.5cc injection of 20,000 units costs around $11.00. Don’t believe me? Check out the price of Procrit (or Aranesp) manufactured by Amgen by recombinant DNA.
Kidney disease is NEVER curable. If one qualifies for a kidney transplant (I didn’t), even a transplant is only a treatment. I require renal hemodialysis 4 times per week for 5 hours each time (20 hours minimum each week). Believe me, folks. It ain’t fun!
theDEFENESTRATOR – wow – that is terrible. It would be a good candidate for the top 10 bizarre illnesses!
MovieDoc: that is truly unbelievable – I can’t believe those prices. How can you go through all that and cope with every day!? Does the condition prevent you from working?
I did not mean to mislead…those prices are the retail prices…with prescription drug insurance, I pay much less. But without those benefits, that’s what you’d pay. Amd how do I cope with all this stuff…going through dialysis 4 (or more) times each week for no less than 20 hours total? I don’t cope too well. I get pretty depressed…but then I tell myself that things could be worse, much worse. My neighbor in dialysis (he sits next to me in the next station) was a gentleman who couldn’t take it anymore…and decided he was not going to come back for more dialysis anymore. Less than two weeks later, he died. So, despite what a lousy proposition dialysis is, it’s infinitely better than the alternative, and I would prefer the inconvenience to that alternative: dying!
One of the reasons no one undergoing hemodialysis doesn’t usually do so for 7 days each week (which would be more in line with what the kidneys do…when they are working properly, they work 24/7) is simply because (1) Medicare will only pay for 3X per week and no more, and (2) We’d go nuts without a day or two off each week. Few people could tolerate dialysis every day – except those undergoing periotoneal dialysis or home dialysys. Home dialysis is done every day, but only for 2-3 hours each day…and you have the advantage of doing it comfortably in your own home in more comfortable surrounding.
Moviedoc: I am impressed by your strong will! You put to shame all the people who complain constantly about how tough life is to them – you have a real reason to complain but aren’t – you are getting along with it. Do people die because they lack insurance – and therefore the means to pay? I am from a country that doesn’t need medical insurance because the high government taxes pay for the majority of things (with long waiting lists however).
Forgive me Jfrater, but does “the cold” REALLY belong on here at all,… far less as #1? Sure there’s no cure, but most of us have immunities to fight it off and keep if from coming back for a few months,.. or longer. In healthy people it’s almost never fatal, or even debilitating.
Ha, as soon as I read “Lupus” the first thing I thought was “It’s NEVER Lupus!”
Great list! I totally would have thought that AIDS or Cancer would be number one.
please send some infromations to my e-mail id
I have large testicles. Unfortunately they are cancerous, but they are large nonetheless. They are probably significantly larger due to the fact that they are cancerous, but I like to tell people I have large balls anyway, because large balls are manly and I like vagina.
P.S. cancer is not a contagious or *****ually transmitted disease, and I can still blow my load as any non cancerous person could.
again, as I said in my post in top 10 diseases, K-52!!
for physical conditions it is AIDS, then common cold, then avian flu, then pica (cutlery craving), then mad cow disease, then chronic fatigue syndrome, then morgellon’s dun know the rest i don’t know. unfortunately i have the common cold.
I have sadly witnessed someone dying of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease… And yea not the most plesant thing. My Nana went to Hospital with what looked like a stroke in April then by October she had died. Was interesting as each time i visited her she acted very different. she couldnt walk… then couldnt see.. then couldnt hear. very sad to watch. Although ever the stubborn she survived 3 chest infections that they thought would take over!
oh yeah…this is the most common incurable physical disorders right? even thats inaccurate.
avi – where does the title of the list say “*common* incurable diseases” ? The list title is “Top 10 Incurable Diseases”.
Knew the common cold wuld be first.
Hey what about Crones Disease??? A friend of mine has it but he is in remission but he is still really wacked out because of his meds one month he will be fine eating right and the next they change his medications and then Austin is barfing in the middle of class. As far as I know that isn’t a curible disease and he will most likely die by 25.:(
Muscular dystrophy really should have made this list.
Maybe you should make another list: Top 20 Diseases (the ones that you will most likely die from and that does not include the common cold)
This is crazy and I don’t understand what their tryind to tell us!!!
Herpes would have been a nice addition.
kiwiboi:thats not what i meant
I would include psychiatric illness as well. The can’t be cured only managed with drugs and psychotherapy.
We all should realize how blessed we are and cherish everyday. Especially when we are healthy and fit. Sure hope I stay healthy and do not get any of these horrible diseases.
I think it should be stressed to young people that herpes is incurable. Maybe they’d be more careful if they knew they could be dealing with cold sores for the rest of their lives. Especially since today’s young people don’t think oral ***** is *****. It’s ***** enough for you to get an STD.