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BRISTOL, England, Dec 13, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A woman in Bristol, England, is responding to treatment for an extremely rare condition that makes her speak French and believe she is in France.
Louise Clarke, a 30-year-old recruitment consultant first noticed something going on in October 2004 when she began getting migraine headaches, hallucinations and cloudy vision, the Daily Mail reported.
Clarke, who has lived in France, also began speaking French all the time, and once telephoned all her friends to invite them to visit her in Paris, even though she lives in Bristol.
Her sister finally took her to a hospital in Bath, where she underwent three months of tests, and doctors determined she is one of about 200 people in the world with Susac's syndrome, which affects the brain, ears and eyes.
Clarke said it is under control with steroids and other medication but said she has been told the condition can last as long as five years.
"It might sound funny to others, but suddenly thinking you are French is terrifying," she told the newspaper.
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2006 by United Press International
