I have a new “scariest disease,” to tell people about when I’m bored. Meet Fatal familial insomnia.

It’s similar to mad cow disease in that its caused by prions, but its genetic.

One day, at around age 30, you lose the ability to fall asleep. As you might imagine, this causes you to die.

There is no treatment or cure.

From Wikipedia:

The disease has four stages, taking 7 to 18 months to run its course:
1. The patient suffers increasing insomnia, resulting in panic attacks and phobias. This stage lasts about four months.
2. Hallucinations and panic attacks become noticeable, continuing about five months.
3. Complete inability to sleep is followed by rapid loss of weight. This lasts about three months.
4. Dementia, turning unresponsive or mute over the course of six months. This is the final progression of the disease, and the patient will subsequently die.

It’s very rare.

Fatal Familial Insomnia [Wikipedia]