20 Diseases You've Probably Never Heard Of

You might not have heard of Jumping Frenchman of Maine or Hailey-Hailey Syndrome, but these diseases, syndromes and disorders don't feel 'rare' to the people and families afflicted with them. In fact, there are thousands of people who are deeply affected by the 1,000+ diseases covered in the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) database.

Here we take you through just a few...

Jumping Frenchmen of Maine

This very rare disorder is characterized by an unusually extreme "startle" reaction. It was first identified in the late 1800s among an isolated group of French Canadian lumberjacks. The exact cause of jumping Frenchmen of Maine is unknown. One theory is that the disorder occurs because of an extreme conditioned response to a particular situation influenced by cultural factors.

Read More About the Disease From NORD

More Resources Related to Jumping Frenchman of Maine

Genetic and Rare Diseases (GARD) Information Center
Phone #: 301-251-4925
800 #: 888-205-2311
e-mail: ordr@od.nih.gov
Home page: http://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/Default.aspx

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Phone #: 301-496-5751
800 #: 800-352-9424
e-mail: me20t@nih.gov
Home page: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/

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