(Roughly) Daily

The wages of anxiety…

A large Swedish study has uncovered a paradox about people diagnosed with an excessive fear of serious illness: They tend to die earlier than people who aren’t hypervigilant about health concerns.

Hypochondriasis, now called illness anxiety disorder, is a rare condition with symptoms that go beyond average health worries. People with the disorder are unable to shake their fears despite normal physical exams and lab tests. Some may change doctors repeatedly. Others may avoid medical care…

The researchers found that people with the diagnosis have an increased risk of death from both natural and unnatural causes, particularly suicide. Chronic stress and its impact on the body could explain some of the difference, the authors wrote…

“In hypochondria paradox, Swedish study finds a higher death rate in those who fear serious illness,” by @CarlaKJohnson in @AP.

* Joseph Heller, Catch-22

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As we stew over self-fulfilling prophecies, we might recall that it was on this date in 2021 that Paul E. Marek, et al. published a paper in Scientific Reports reporting the discovery of the first millipede species that lived up to its name. Although called millipedes, meaning 1000 legs, never before had a species been found with truly that many legs.

In fact, the new species, Eumillipes persephone has 1306 legs. This diminutive animal has a greatly elongated, thread-like body (0.95 mm wide, 95.7 mm long) with 330 segments, a cone-shaped head with enormous antennae, and a beak for feeding. It was found 60 m below ground in a drill hole created for mineral exploration in Western Australia. Living as a troglobite, it lacks eyes and pigmentation.