A Disease So Painful It Feels Like Death from Just a Breeze or Water Contact [Lee Jin-kyung's Health Tips]

The 'Big 8' Extreme Pains Experienced by Humans

[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-kyung Lee] Pain is the experience of suffering caused by external or internal stimuli, and the causes of pain are diverse. However, internal diseases that cause extreme pain as severe as childbirth pain are invisible and require long treatment periods, which deteriorate our quality of life. Of course, it is difficult to rank which diseases cause more severe pain because it varies depending on a person's health condition and pain tolerance. However, diseases with high pain grades are said to even cause suicidal impulses. Let's take a look at what diseases cause pain severe enough to feel like dying.

● Postherpetic Neuralgia

This is chronic pain occurring after shingles, referring to neuralgia caused by the varicella-zoster virus. The likelihood of occurrence increases with age, and the risk of neuralgia varies depending on the affected area. Neuralgia risk is higher when it occurs in the chest, brachial plexus, or trigeminal nerve areas. Severe pain before the appearance of skin lesions or rash can also lead to extreme neuralgia. The intense pain can last from several months to years. The pain manifests in various ways, from stabbing pain like being cut with a knife to abnormal sensations like insects crawling, and even pain triggered by the slightest touch of hair. Additionally, minor stimuli that were previously tolerable can cause extreme pain, reducing quality of life. According to pain scales, this pain ranks higher than surgical pain and childbirth pain, indicating how severe this disease's pain is.

● Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome is a disease causing extreme pain due to abnormalities in the central nervous system or autonomic nervous system. It usually starts in one arm and leg but can cause pain throughout the body. Patients experience burning, stabbing, cutting, or grinding-like severe pain. Pain can be severe even when touched by wind, water, or during movement. In severe cases, symptoms such as sensory abnormalities, swelling, joint stiffness, or muscle spasms may accompany the pain in the affected area.

● Gout

Gout is characterized by very severe pain called gout attacks that can last for a month, with pain so intense that sleeping at night becomes difficult. Usually, pain subsides after treatment and time, but most patients may experience gout attacks again within 1 to 2 years. Hyperuricemia, the cause of gout, also leads to destruction of joints and cartilage, so neglecting it can result in severe arthritis, requiring caution. It mainly occurs in the big toe, causing pain as if the bone is breaking, and even slight contact or friction causes significant pain, with patients saying it hurts even when the wind blows. In extremely severe cases, patients have reported wanting to amputate the affected area due to unbearable pain.

● Acute Pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory disease of the pancreas, an organ involved in digestion and endocrine functions, caused by various factors. It is known as one of the most painful inflammatory diseases of the abdomen. Typical symptoms include severe abdominal pain, jaundice, and fever. The pain is described as a burning sensation in the upper left abdomen and may radiate to the back in severe cases. The pain worsens when lying down and tends to improve when bending forward or sitting. Accompanying symptoms include mild fever, vomiting, and elevated blood pressure. If worsened, it can lead to shock and life-threatening conditions.

● Cluster Headache

This condition mainly affects men, with a high incidence in the late 20s, and symptoms can continue into the 40s. It is caused by excessive activation of the brainstem parasympathetic reflex via nociceptors in the trigeminal nerve related to the eye. Severe headaches accompanied by tearing, nasal congestion, runny nose, and sweating occur periodically, typically affecting one side of the head repeatedly. Pain starts above the eye or near the temple and spreads to the forehead, jaw, and ear areas. Each headache lasts about 10 minutes, short but intense. Most patients experience headaches on the same side, but sometimes the side switches. Days before onset, patients may feel lethargy, agitation, irritability, and a heavy sensation predicting the headache. Due to the extreme pain, patients often experience burning, stabbing, or squeezing pain. In severe cases, some patients even experience suicidal impulses due to unbearable pain.

● Gallbladder Stone Cholelithiasis

Bile produced by the liver is stored in the gallbladder via the bile duct, and stones forming in the bile duct block bile flow, causing abdominal pain. The causes of gallstones are varied and not clearly identified, but bile duct infections or genetic diseases are common factors. Also, people with diets high in fatty foods have a higher risk. Severe abdominal pain lasting more than 5 hours occurs in the right upper abdomen, accompanied by nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, clay-colored stools, and jaundice, which causes yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes. Hard stones forming in the body's fluid pathways stimulate the body with movement, causing pain as severe as childbirth pain. As the stones grow larger, they irritate the inner walls of the ducts more, increasing pain severity, so early treatment is important.

● Trigeminal Neuralgia

This disease mainly occurs in elderly people aged 60 to 70 and above, causing stabbing pain in the lower jaw. The trigeminal nerve is a sensory nerve of the face, consisting of three branches extending to the forehead, cheeks, and jaw. The disease occurs when the trigeminal nerve is compressed near its origin in the brain. It is known as a representative neuropathy along with shingles, with a pain scale score of 10, earning the nickname "king of pain." Patients experience extreme pain when moving their face during activities such as chewing, brushing teeth, or shaving. In severe cases, even a breeze touching the face causes intense pain, making daily life difficult. Patients often feel aching pain in the cheeks, teeth, or jaw, sometimes mistaking it for simple toothache and visiting a dentist, so it is important to carefully observe and distinguish the pain for accurate diagnosis and hospital visits.

● Subdeltoid Bursitis

This disease refers to inflammation of the bursa necessary for the shoulder blade, which is attached to the back by muscles and moves with the arm. It often occurs chronically in people who habitually maintain poor posture. Pain is usually severe at night and occurs mainly when raising the arm horizontally or inward. The pain can cause numbness or make it difficult to lift the arm. In severe cases, neck pain may also occur. Usually caused by trauma, this disease can also occur when calcium deposits are found in the supraspinatus tendon during radiological examinations.