Epidemic of Koro in North East India: An observational cross-sectional study

Are culture‐bound syndromes on the verge of extinction?

“…5 So, some sufferers worry that koro might prove fatal. 3,5 A West Indian immigrant who presented with koro to a London hospital worried the retraction would end in him becoming female. 5 Not surprisingly, koro sufferers also worry about genital dysfunction, impotency and the effect on their sex life.…”

“…Koro usually occurs in epidemics, often fuelled by media reports. 3 Koro patients go to great -and often painful -lengths to stop the retraction. Some tie strings around their genitalia.…”

“…A sudden intense anxiety grips patients that their genitalia -including the nipples in case of females with koro -will disappear into their body. 3 Ghosts traditionally do not possess genitals. 5 So, some sufferers worry that koro might prove fatal.…”

“…5 Not surprisingly, koro sufferers also worry about genital dysfunction, impotency and the effect on their sex life. 3 The typical koro patient is a young male. Of the 70 patients studied during an outbreak of koro in Assam in North East India, for example, 97% were male, 70% were unmarried and 62% were aged b e t w e e n 2 1 a n d 3 0 y e a r s .…”

“…1,2 People with koro fear that their genitals are disappearing into their abdomen. 3 Yoruba people in Nigeria experiencing ode ori -literally 'hunter of the head' -report feeling as if an organism is crawling through their head and other parts of the body. They may hear boiling, hissing, humming or buzzing in their ears and experience dizziness, darkening or blurring of vision, headache, bodily pains and peppery sensations.…”