The truth about Alexandria syndrome

Alexandria syndrome or Alexandria Genesis is a supposed condition that, among other striking features, causes whoever presents it has purple eyes. For years the existence of this “disease” has been debated. In fact, there are no explanations or medical records and only the case that marked the “origin” of this condition is known.

This syndrome is considered a genetic mutation and, according to the information that can be found, It was documented for the first time in the year 1329, in London. The patient in question was named Alexandría Agustín and, having been born with blue eyes, they eventually turned violet.

Given the strangeness of the case, the parents went to a priest, who stated that there was no type of relationship with the devil, and that he knew of a similar case in Egypt.

Symptoms (or supposed symptoms)

Alexandria syndrome, which would affect only women, would have the following symptoms:

Violet eyes. Despite being born with blue eyes, around six months they would change to a more purple color. Light skin and sunlight resistance. They would have very light skin, although when exposed to sunlight they would not burn.Slowed aging. These women would appear between 5 and 10 years younger, beginning to notice clear signs of aging at an advanced age.Little body hair. You would only have hair on your eyebrows, nose, eyelashes and head. That is, only the hair you are born with. Furthermore, the hair would be strong and dark in color.Fertile despite not having menstruation. It is said that women with Alexandria syndrome would be fertile, even if they did not menstruate.Extreme longevity. Although the oldest documented person died at 122 years of age, it is said that these people would be able to live to be 150 years old.Perfect physical shape. These women would tend to maintain an athletic body, with a low BMI.

This set of symptoms makes the syndrome seem like a divine intervention more than a disease. Biologically, these traits are impossible or unlikely. In fact, if this were the case, rather than a genetic mutation it would be a combination of several mutations.

The truth

As indicated above, At a biological level it is practically impossible for this syndrome to be real. For one thing, while there is some possibility that the eyes may have a purple hue, as is the case with some albinos, it is highly unlikely.

In addition, protection from solar radiation is produced thanks to melanin, which is a substance found in high quantities in people with dark skin. Therefore, light-skinned people will always be more vulnerable to the sun.

On the other hand, although a pregnancy can occur in amenorrhea (absence of menstruation), it is biologically impossible for this to happen if the person does not ovulate. Likewise, There are cases of people who have lived more than 100 yearsbut to this day the oldest person who has died was 122 years old, so living to 150 seems very unlikely.

Reviewing all the symptoms, it seems that whoever “suffers” Alexandria syndrome would be a special being, the product of a magical intervention or coming from the future: Its characteristics are more worthy of fiction than human biology. Thus, it seems that this phenomenon is precisely that, a fiction.

Created for a fanfiction

On January 29, 2014, The person responsible for the Tumblr “The house of Aubernon” published this entry explaining that she was the creator of this extraordinary syndrome. In it she says that back in 1998 she was a staunch fan of the animated series Daria on the well-known MTV network. During that time, she found a fanfiction about that series in which he began to participate.

A fanfiction It is a community, generally online, created by fans to generate alternative stories to series or movies. That is, starting from the characters of an already created story, or from a famous person, they invent a different story. Thus, the author of “The house of Aubernon” created a story with a perfect version of Daria’s characters. Among them, there was a girl with the so-called Alexandria syndrome.

This, in fact, is inspired by the process of coping with his gender identity and body image that he experienced when he was about 20 years old, according to what he says on the blog.

Also, in that same entry, gives more details of each symptom of the syndrome and the source of inspiration for each one of them: a fan of ancient Egypt, polycystic ovary syndrome or the desire to never gain weight, among others. In the blog entry he even tells how he developed the story of the origin of the syndrome, from that London girl mentioned above.

Went viral!

To his surprise, In 2011 he found himself on the same social network with people who were talking about Alexandria syndrome. and who, in addition, stated that they themselves or acquaintances suffered from it. So, she wrote a response saying that she had created the myth, but it didn’t seem to be enough.

Currently, there are several entries that continue to allude to the syndrome, without clarifying that it is a myth. In fact, today, even You can consult an entry in a forum on the Above Top Secret website (conspiracy theories forum) of a boy explaining that he has met a woman with this syndrome online, generating great expectation and debate.

In short, Alexandria syndrome does not exist no matter how much some people have wanted to believe in it or no matter how much we dream of developing these symptoms. It is rather an example of how certain information that we read on the Internet (in this case, a story of fanfiction) is interpreted as real and spreads like wildfire.

You might be interested…