This syndrome had been named after an Italian family because they can’t feel pain. Studies revealed that it is rooted in their genes and it could help in developing painkillers. Members of the Marsili family – a 78-year-old woman, her two middle-aged daughters, and three of their children – carry the syndrome. Supposedly, all six of them barely feel pain, which means they don’t notice when they get injured.
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When the family became known, they were assessed, and doctors discovered that they had bone fractures in their limbs that none of them realized were there. James Cox of the University College London said, “Sometimes they feel pain in the initial break, but it goes away very quickly. For example, Letizia broke her shoulder while skiing, but then kept skiing for the rest of the day and drove home. She didn’t get it checked out until the next day.” Letizia Marsili, who is one of the middle-aged daughters, also broke her elbow while she was playing tennis. She never realized it until they were assessed. Her other family members had the same issue as well.
Eventually, their condition became known as the “Marsili syndrome.” The illness is known to be exclusive in the family, and experts only know so little about it. While not being able to feel pain can be a good thing, the downside of their syndrome was already mentioned. Being injured without realizing it is probably the most significant disadvantage of the syndrome. Still, professionals of the medical field saw great potential with the Marsili family’s strange ability to not feel pain. Years of research were spent, and researchers soon found out that there is a genetic reason for the family’s condition. During tests, it was discovered that the family had a consistent mutation in the gene known as ZFHX2.
Researchers bred a population of mice that had the same mutation. They discovered that the subjects had the same level of insensitivity to heat that the Marsili family has. The study author, Dr. Abdella Habib, spoke with the Independent and explained that their findings could pave the way for the discovery of new treatments. He said, "We hope that our findings and the subsequent research projects will help find better treatments for the millions of people worldwide who experience chronic pain and don't get relief from existing drugs.” In addition, further studies could also help experts discover a treatment that can reverse the Marsili family’s pain insensitivity. Although, a team member of the study named John Wood claimed that he told the family about the possibility, but they said they were not interested in taking away their ability to not feel pain.