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    Summer is prime season for lightning strikes. While about 40 Americans die from being struck each year, about 400 survive the blow. Initial symptoms can include cardiac arrest, loss of consciousness, temporary paralysis and blunt trauma, but victims often experience a host of less understood short- and long-term effects. 

    Click through for 11 of the most surprising conditions.

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    Skin lesions

    Following a lightning strike, red fern-like lesions often form on a victim's skin. The feathering pattern, called a Lichtenberg figure, lasts anywhere from a few days to several months.

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    Sleep disorders

    A lightning strike can damage the nervous system, and one result of that can be chronic sleep problems. Basic neural circuits may no longer function properly and sleep patterns can be disturbed. While initially a victim may sleep excessively, with time he or she might struggle from lack of sleep.

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    Feeling hot

    In some instances, survivors report feeling hot more often, which may be the result of nervous-system damage. An inability to appropriately sense pain and temperature could be to blame.

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    Impotence

    Survivors often report impotence and a lack of libido, possibly resulting from nerve injury. Because victims are often prescribed a variety of medications that include impotence as a side effect, determining the source of the problem can be challenging.

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    Chronic pain

    Intense headaches –- sometimes accompanied by ringing in the ears –- and back pain are a consistent source of discomfort for those struck by lightning. Chronic pain can afflict other parts of the body too, often due to vascular and muscle damage.

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    Lack of equilibrium

    Victims also may have a harder time maintaining balance. The jolt can throw off a body's electrical impulses, affecting equilibrium.

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    Seizures

    Victims can experience seizures, with some even developing epilepsy. This permanent seizure disorder is caused by a brain injury sustained from the jolt.

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    Depression

    The debilitating results of a lightning strike can contribute to depression. Because victims frequently appear healthy, their neurological symptoms are often misunderstood. Many victims maintain that neither the medical community nor the general public fully understand the breadth of their injuries.

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    Chronic irritability

    Many survivors of lightning strikes report increased irritability. As a result, they often turn inward and avoid socializing with others. 

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    Personality change

    Depression, irritability, self-imposed isolation and memory loss can take a toll on a survivor's personality, but other factors can contribute to a personality change too. Dr. Mary Ann Cooper, a leading expert on lightning injuries, told MSNBC that victims often "don't understand jokes, they're socially inappropriate. All of those filters are kind of gone."

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    Next: 25 Electrifying Photos of Lightning Bolts

    Short-term-memory damage

    Among the possible neurological effects of a lightning strike is short-term-memory loss. Important neural circuits can be damaged, causing difficulty understanding and retaining new information. Some victims also experience a seizure-like pattern, in which they "zone out" for periods of time or perform automatic activities without any recollection of doing so.