(Credit: CMAJ)
It turns out that sweating blood is a real, but rare medical condition. A team of doctors in Italy treated a 21-year-old woman whose condition caused blood to spontaneously sweat from her palms and face.
She dealt with the condition for three years. The woman, who is unidentified, has been treated for depression and had become socially isolated due to her condition.
Researchers from the Canadian Medical Association Journal noted:
“There was no obvious trigger for the bleeding, which could occur while she was asleep and during times of physical activity. She stated that more intense bleeding occurred during times of perceived emotional stress. Episodes lasted from one to five minutes."
The rare diagnosis is called hematohidrosis, which is a rare condition characterized by blood oozing from intact skin and even from the eyes.
Hematohidrosis is still not fully understood, but it's often associated fear and emotional distress.
The woman was treated for her depression and anxiety with propranolol, a beta blocker used to regulate the heart and blood pressure. The bleeding did reduce somewhat, but there hasn't been a total remission.