The Guardian

'Sweating' blood: mysterious case leaves Canadian experts searching for answers

The condition reported by an Italian woman prompted experts to investigate, leading them to about two dozen similar cases worldwide in the past 15 years
Christ on the Mount of Olives, by Wolfgang Sauber. The condition of ‘sweating’ blood is often referenced in association with Christianity, an expert noted. Photograph: Wolfgang Sauber/Creative Commons

The case left doctors perplexed: a 21-year-old Italian woman with no gashes or skin lesions arrived at a medical ward, where she described years of sweating blood from her face and the palms of her hands.

The bleeding would often start while she was sleeping or during physical activity and could last anywhere from one to five minutes. While the intensity of the bleeding seemed to increase with stress, she couldn’t single out

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