The strange disease left millions sleepy, trapped in their own bodies and died

This sleep sickness happened at the same time as the Spanish flu outbreak, so it was often forgotten and forgotten by history and people.

After World War I, a strange sleep disease, also known as lethargic encephalitis, has struck millions of people around the world and left scientists with headaches for decades. .

Strange sleep disease also known as coma encephalitis.

According to many sources, about 1 million people with sleep disease have passed away, while many others have been turned into living statues, having to spend the rest of their life trapped in their own bodies, unable to send. also unable to speak.

Many famous scientists 100 years ago tried to find the cause of this strange disease as well as the treatment.

But so far, nothing has been proven and the disease persists as one of the greatest mysteries in medical history.

Sleep sickness spread worldwide at the same time as the Spanish flu outbreak killed more than 50 million people.

And this is precisely the reason why history ignored the disease, even though it also caused the deaths of more than 1 million people and seriously affected the lives of millions of others.

The majority of cases were reported several months after the end of World War I, but many believe that this sleep sickness began around 1915 or 1916 when soldiers were treated by doctors in Paris, France, health check.

At first, the doctor believed that the cause of these abnormal symptoms was mustard gas, a gas that was widely used during the war. However, not long after that, their judgment was proved wrong.

A psychiatrist from Vienna named Constantin von economo wrote an article about the disease after he witnessed common people suffer.

Shortly thereafter, his name appeared in newspapers and coma encephalitis was widely known in Vienna as Economo .

In Vienna it is also known as the Economo disease.

"We are facing a prolonged sleep disease. The initial symptoms are headaches and discomfort. After that, the patient begins to fall asleep and fall into a delirium . 

This symptom may cause death immediately or within the next few weeks. 

In addition, it can persist for weeks or months due to a transition from drowsiness to dizziness and deep coma, " Constantin wrote in a 1917 article.

A few years later, a strange sleep disease hit households, killing many people and leaving millions of patients trapped in their own bodies .

This is a disease that causes encephalitis, makes you feel tired and is widely known as sleep sickness, sounds funny compared to its ability to kill.

According to numerous reports, the disease kills 1/3 of the infected person, the survival rate is about 20% but most cannot live independently and require special care. Less than one third of them can recover completely.

Sleep sickness can affect people regardless of age and is most susceptible to infections, especially among young people aged 15-35.

The first stage of this strange illness is no different from the common flu: high fever, headache, fatigue and runny nose.

The patient had no idea that he was fighting the deadly disease and by that time the disease was able to penetrate into the brain.

The cause of death was determined by the swelling of the hypothalamus, a small part of the brain that plays an important role in controlling functions, including sleep.

When sleeping sickness attacks, the hypothalamus will be seriously injured and lead to death.

About 10 years after the article by Constantin, the illness suddenly disappeared completely. However, virologist John Oxford believes that the "game" is not over.

" I really believe that this disease will probably come back again. Until we find out why can really stop it, " he told the BBC.

Just as Mr. John predicted, this sleeping sickness came back again. In 1993, a young girl named Becky Howells was diagnosed with sleeping sickness and it took several years for her to recover.

As more and more cases were discovered, Mr. John, with the help of several colleagues, was able to find many similarities between patients.

Many patients had sore throats before they became infected with sleeping . Doctors Russell Dale and Andrew Church believe that the disease is caused by a rare bacterium called streptococcus , the human immune system is damaged when fighting bacteria and as a result, it invades. into the brain, causing brain damage.

It must be a groundbreaking discovery, but no one can consistently prove that streptococcus bacteria causes coma.

Research is still underway and the disease remains a major mystery to the medical community.

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