A 19-year-old man from Texas, claiming to be a 500 year old vampire that has the need to feed on human blood. The man is known as Lyle Monroe Bensley, and has been put into jail after breaking into a woman’s apartment and biting into her neck. So, they do exist?!, however is it a mental related illness? is it the influence of pop culture and the film industry? Or are they real by nature as they claim?
People that have the desire to feed on human blood or just blood in general seem to think that they are actual vampires or are related to families that claimed to be vampires in old times, however that’s not the case. People that crave human blood, suffer from “Porphyria”, and others that have the same features as vampires from how legends described them, suffer from rare genetic diseases such as: HED, and XP.
What are those Diseases?
Porphyria (Vampire Disease)
Is a rare genetic disease that makes people have the desire to drink human blood, And the reason behind that is, the buildup of porphyrins which affects the nervous system and skin as well as for abnormalities in their hemoglobin. This disease is inherited in most cases, and in other cases people get it from having many diseases in total, such as HIV, High Iron Level in liver, Hormonal imbalance, stress, and it’s also related to consumption of certain drugs and medication.
People that suffer from porphyria don’t only crave human blood, but also have skin that is sensitive to sunlight, which is what most vampires are like in legends.
This brings us to the question .. is it safe to drink human blood?
According to an interview by John Edgar Browning from BBC, drinking blood can be very harmful if consumed over the limit for two reasons, it may contain pathogens or blood borne diseases, and the fact that humans don’t have the same mechanism as animals to extract iron from blood, therefore overdosing on blood can lead in some cases to death. People who claim to be vampires state that they do it on a regular basis and have more energy and suffer no health complications even though doctors do warn from such practices.
In second place …
HED
Also known as hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, which is a rare genetic disease, mainly affects the appearance of people, signs of such: Thin hair, bluish under eyes due to thin skin which makes the blood vessels obvious, and not having the ability of sweat, as it affects the body’s sweat glands. Other signs that related this disease to vampire look alikes of such: Sharp pointy teeth, dull skin, and sensitive to sunlight skin.
XP
Also known asXeroderma Pigmentosm, is a rare genetic disease, that affects the DNA, making it unable to repair sunlight damage, specially of Ultraviolet light. This means that people who suffer from XP cannot tolerate even slightest exposure to sunlight, as they have sensitive skin and is often of a pale appearance, as well as for extremely sensitive eyesight. This makes them hide away from sunlight which relates people with XP to vampires as they’re known in legends to avoid sunlight.
Can these Disease be cured?
Most genetic diseases cannot be cured, instead they are managed or toned down by medication to ease up their symptoms.
How does such disease affect social life of who have it?
People of a younger age seem to suffer more than those of an older age, specially if the disease affected their appearances (HED), often putting them in situations where they are bullied and not socially accepted in their environment, making them outcasts. However those of an older age seem to find acceptance easily in similar “Vampire Societies”.
Journalism JRN 215 