Woman who began sweating blood from her face and palms was later diagnosed with rare medical condition

A woman said she became socially isolated due to feeling embarrassed about breaking out in blood sweats.

The woman, originally from Italy, was diagnosed with a very rare condition that would make her sweat blood, and it would be visible on her face and her palms.

Amazingly, the 21-year-old would not have any cuts or lesions on her body when it happened, and initially perplexed scientists.

The episodes would not last long, only about one to five minutes, but they were more than enough to negatively impact her life.

The October 23, 2017, the Canadian Medical Association Journal highlighted this woman’s case and gave greater detail into what she was suffering from.

On the left, an image of the woman's face during a bleeding episode. On the right, an image of the woman's skin under a microscope, which showed normal tissue. (CMAJ)

Over the past three years, the woman had periodically experienced the bleeding, and it was more intense when she was under emotional stress.

The journal stated: “There was no obvious trigger for the bleeding, which could occur while she was asleep and during times of physical activity.

“Our patient had become socially isolated owing to embarrassment over the bleeding and she reported symptoms consistent with major depressive disorder and panic disorder. There was no history of psychosis.

“Our differential diagnosis included factitious disorder and an uncommon condition known as hematohidrosis.”

It isn’t clear what causes this condition to develop, but there are some treatments available.

According to the National Institutes of Health's Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD), researchers suggested that increased pressure in blood vessels may lead to the passage of blood cells through the ducts of the sweat glands.

Others have hypothesized the condition may be the result of the activation of the body’s fight or flight response, which typically occurs when a person is fearful or stressed.

An unrelated case study of sweating blood was reported from Hospital General Universitario de Alicante in Spain.(Elvira Mora/Javier Lucas/Blood 2013)

At one point, experts were not entirely convinced the condition existed, despite it being referenced in history as far back in the writings of Aristotle.

According to Dr. Jacalyn Duffin, a medical historian and hematologist at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario there has been an increase in reports of hematohidrosis since 2013 - although the disease remains very rare.

She added that since this year, there have been 18 reports reported cases of hematohidrosis.

In total, there have been 42 reports cases of it in medical literature since 1880.

The woman was treated with a medication for high blood pressure, which has been used before to treat hematohidrosis. After treatment, she reportedly experienced a ‘marked reduction’ in her bleeding.