Rube Goldberg Syndrome 

n. The situation whereby a medical or medical/psychiatric condition causes a "domino effect" of other dangerous symptoms and conditions ensuing.

Named after the Rube Goldberg "contraption" machine, any machine that uses a chain reaction of events to achieve a final, trivial goal (in this particular case, possibly death).

After my brother had that bout with strep, it apparently got to his stomach and paralyzed it, giving him a nasty case of acid reflux, which in turn began to launch acid clear up into his throat and mouth, not only severely damaging his teeth... he's also he's worried he's going to get cancer one day from all that acid where it's not supposed to be. And to say nothing about all the dental surgeries he's gonna need... talk about a case of Rube Goldberg Syndrome!

(No really, it has happened.)

Rube Goldberg Syndrome by Andy Khay January 23, 2009