Howling Syndrome
"It was the most peculiar thing. It started when the gremlin began laughing at a joke another made. I thought that it would eventually stop, but he couldn't seem to calm himself down. All of a sudden, he lifted a few feet off the air, his eyes glazing over and becoming incredibly unfocused. Another threw a bucket of cold water over his head, ending his spell. Abruptly, he plummeted to the ground like a stone, and when he lifted the bucket off of his head, he looked around, having regained awareness of his surroundings."
Howling Syndrome is a condition that affects the gremlin races of Altairus. It is particularly common in harlequin gremlins. While distressing, it is not deadly, and many of Altairus's greatest minds had this condition.
Causes
Howling Syndrome is a hereditary condition caused by a recessive allele. Because this gene is located on the X chromosome, the condition is more common in males than in females. Females are more likely to be carriers of the gene.
During gestational development, this gene results in a defect in the autonomic nervous system that presents itself when the gremlin is experiencing intense emotions. Normally, when a gremlin laughs or cries for a long period of time, the autonomic nervous system steps in to calm them down and regulate their breathing.
For Howling Syndrome patients, however, the autonomic nervous system doesn't always trigger this response. As a result, it can be extremely difficult for gremlins with this condition to calm themselves down in the midst of strong emotions.
At one point, Howling Syndrome was thought to be related to Pseudobulbar Effect. However, not enough research exists to support nor refute this claim.
Symptoms
Howling Syndrome gets its name from one of its most common manifestations. When roused, the afflicted may laugh uncontrollably for a long stretch of time, unable to stop themselves even as the laughter becomes painful or the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in their bodies is disrupted. Any sort of stimulation tends to make the laughter worse. Tears and angry outbursts are less common than laughter, but are certainly not very rare.
Many observers of these fits report cases of "floating" or "levitation" alongside the laughter. This symptom is thought to be caused by the magical incontinence that often occurs during these episodes. Again, this is only one of the manifestations of this symptom, and thankfully one of the less dangerous ones.
These symptoms tend to be first observed in childhood. Usually others first learn of this condition when a widget reaches the toddler stage. Many times, their caretakers realize that something is off when the widget throws a tantrum that doesn't seem to end and begins exhibiting signs of magical incontinence. Symptoms have not been observed in widgets younger than this. It is believed that the condition only shows up when the nervous system matures.
Treatment
There are many tools that one can use to stop a howling fit short. Splashing cold water on the face triggers the diving reflex, forcing them to calm themselves down. Barring that, moving the patient into a comfortable, low-stimulation environment and having them utilize certain breathing techniques can help cut episodes short or prevent them from happening altogether.
If the gremlin passes out, the best thing to do is to make sure they don't hit their head on the way down. After this, lifting their legs above their head and moving them to an environment with an abundance of fresh air will help them regain consciousness.
Prognosis
While episodes of Howling Syndrome are acutely distressing, there is little evidence that suggests that they cause lasting physical or mental harm. In the worst case scenario, the gremlin will eventually pass out, and breathing will resume normally.
Patients with Howling Syndrome most often live full and healthy lives otherwise. Interestingly, Howling Syndrome is more present in gremlins with certain forms of neurodivergence (Autism and ADHD specifically). It is not known whether the conditions are genetically linked or whether they tend to present more often in these gremlins simply because they tend to react more strongly to stimuli in general.
Prevention
Genetic testing may be able to predict the incidence of Howling Syndrome to some extent, but not much is known about the mutation, so prevention is not very robust.
Cultural Reception
Howling Syndrome fits are often distressing both to the sufferer and to those around them. At one point, this syndrome was thought to be the result of malefic magic, but nowadays, most gremlins know better.
Interestingly but perhaps unsurprisingly, harlequin gremlins with the laughter subtype of Howling Syndrome were historically and even today held in high regard by their peers. They are considered to be closer to the spirit of laughter that all harlequin gremlins share.
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