This is one medical phenomenon I thought I’d never see. Doctors were stunned when a 64-year-old woman developed lumps on her arms and torso… and also a massive growth on her back referred to as “buffalo hump.” The woman said she was aware of her worsening deformities for at least five years, but since they didn’t make her physically uncomfortable, she was okay with them. However, she was also suffering from progressive muscle weakness that become so severe she could barely leave her house. When she finally arrived at the Brooklyn Hospital Center, doctors noticed she was confused and disoriented. That’s when the woman admitted to being a heavy drinker for 40 years. Her last binge was about two weeks prior to her first hospital visit. Doctors sent her in for CT scans, but the mysterious lumps turned out to be non-cancerous. As a last resort, they searched the internet and diagnosed her with Madelung's disease, a rare illness typically seen among male alcoholics. Madelung’s causes fatty tumors called lipomas to form under the skin. Blood tests revealed the woman had ketoacidosis, a rare but dangerous condition typically seen in patients with type 1 diabetes. Decades of alcohol abuse also left her with fatty liver disease. Doctors gave the woman two solutions. She was advised to stop drinking alcohol, and they gave her the option to treat the hump on her back with liposuction. The woman decided to stop drinking, but did not opt for the liposuction.
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