“Endometriosis is an incredibly interesting disease” by Abhishaike Mahajan
MP3•Episode home
Manage episode 489685273 series 3364758
Content provided by LessWrong. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by LessWrong or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.
Introduction
There are several diseases that are canonically recognized as ‘interesting’, even by laymen. Whether that is in their mechanism of action, their impact on the patient, or something else entirely. It's hard to tell exactly what makes a medical condition interesting, it's a you-know-it-when-you-see-it sort of thing.
One such example is measles. Measles is an unremarkable disease based solely on its clinical progression: fever, malaise, coughing, and a relatively low death rate of 0.2%~. What is astonishing about the disease is its capacity to infect cells of the adaptive immune system (memory B‑ and T-cells). This means that if you do end up surviving measles, you are left with an immune system not dissimilar to one of a just-born infant, entirely naive to polio, diphtheria, pertussis, and every single other infection you received protection against either via vaccines or natural infection. It can take up to 3 [...]
---
Outline:
(00:21) Introduction
(02:48) Why is endometriosis interesting?
(04:09) The primary hypothesis of why it exists is not complete
(13:20) It is nearly equivalent to cancer
(20:08) There is no (real) cure
(25:39) There are few diseases on Earth as widespread and underfunded as it is
(32:04) Conclusion
---
First published:
June 14th, 2025
Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/GicDDmpS4mRnXzic5/endometriosis-is-an-incredibly-interesting-disease
---
Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.
---
…
continue reading
There are several diseases that are canonically recognized as ‘interesting’, even by laymen. Whether that is in their mechanism of action, their impact on the patient, or something else entirely. It's hard to tell exactly what makes a medical condition interesting, it's a you-know-it-when-you-see-it sort of thing.
One such example is measles. Measles is an unremarkable disease based solely on its clinical progression: fever, malaise, coughing, and a relatively low death rate of 0.2%~. What is astonishing about the disease is its capacity to infect cells of the adaptive immune system (memory B‑ and T-cells). This means that if you do end up surviving measles, you are left with an immune system not dissimilar to one of a just-born infant, entirely naive to polio, diphtheria, pertussis, and every single other infection you received protection against either via vaccines or natural infection. It can take up to 3 [...]
---
Outline:
(00:21) Introduction
(02:48) Why is endometriosis interesting?
(04:09) The primary hypothesis of why it exists is not complete
(13:20) It is nearly equivalent to cancer
(20:08) There is no (real) cure
(25:39) There are few diseases on Earth as widespread and underfunded as it is
(32:04) Conclusion
---
First published:
June 14th, 2025
Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/GicDDmpS4mRnXzic5/endometriosis-is-an-incredibly-interesting-disease
---
Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.
---
557 episodes