Bangladesh Tree Girl

A young Bangladeshi girl with bark-like growths on her face could be the first female afflicted by “tree man” syndrome, doctors studying the rare genetic condition. Sahana Khatun, 10, has growths on her chin, ear and nose, but doctors at Dhaka’s Medical College hospital are still conducting tests to establish if she has the unusual skin disorder.

Fewer than half a dozen people worldwide have epidermodysplasia verruciformis but none so far have been women, said Samanta Lal Sen, the head of the hospital’s burn and plastic surgery unit. “We believe she is the first woman,” Sen said.

Her father, a poor labourer from Bangladesh’s rural north, said he didn’t worry too much when the first warts appeared on his daughter’s face about four months ago. But as the growths spread rapidly, he grew concerned and brought Khatun from their village to the capital for treatment.

“We are very poor. My daughter lost her mother when she was only six. I really hope that the doctors will remove the barks from my beautiful daughter’s face,” her father, Mohammad Shahjahan, said.

Another of Khatun’s doctors said the young patient was displaying a milder form of the disease, and it was hoped she would make a quicker recovery than those in the more advanced stages. The hospital has been treating one man with a serious case of the disease for the better part of a year, conducting 16 surgical procedures to remove giant warts from his hands and legs.

Huge growths weighing 5kg each had consumed the hands of 27-year-old Abul Bajandar, the first recorded Bangladeshi to be suffering from the disease. His plight has captured national attention and the interest of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who promised the patient would receive treatment free of charge.

Doctors said in January that for the first time in a decade, Bajandar had been able to touch his wife and daughter, and was almost ready to leave the ward.


Bangladesh's 'Tree man' has his hands back
Abul Bajandar, the well-known "tree man" of Bangladesh is going through treatment at the same hospital.
After many groundbreaking surgeries, doctors were able to remove the tree-like branches that were growing out from his fingers, palms and feet.
Bajandar, 27, lived with his growths for years before beginning surgery to remove the them last February. Since then he has had 19 procedures to restore his hands, and will undergo a few before he is released from the hospital.
Before the surgery, Bajandar could not eat, drink, brush his teeth or take a shower by himself. The only thing he could do was scratch his neck.
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Lal Sen told CNN that Bajandar is now in "very good shape," and can eat and write using his own hands. The final procedures, he said, are more for "beautification."
"I want to live like a normal person. I just want to be able to hold my daughter properly and hug her," Bajandar told CNN last year.
The doctors hope to now offer similar hope to young Sahana.

10-year old Sahana Khatun was admitted in Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.
Doctors are planning to operate on her lesions as early.
(CNN)A 10-year-old girl in Bangladesh is being treated for the extremely rare condition known as "tree man" syndrome.

Sahana Khatun was admitted to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital with unusual marks and growths on her face.
"She has bark-like warts growing on her chin, nose and ear," Dr. Samanta Lal Sen, chief plastic surgeon at the hospital, told CNN.

Sahana Khatun, 10, came to the hospital with bark-like warts growing on her face.
Sahana first developed the disease eight years ago, when her father found some rashes on her face. Only since last year have the tree-like warts begun sprouting on her face.
The symptoms are thought to be that of epidermodysplasia verruciformis, a rare, heritable disease; there have only been a handful cases reported around the world. Those with the condition are likely to develop malignant skin tumors.
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"We don't know yet if this is (one) hundred percent a 'tree man' syndrome, but it definitely is a variety of the epidermodysplasia verruciformis, disease which causes very unusual skin disorder," Lal Sen said.
The condition is caused by a defect in the immune system which increases one's susceptibility to cutaneous HPV, or human papillomavirus.

Sahana Khatun with her father, Mohammad Shahjahan.
Sahana lost her mother when she was 6 and lives with her father, a laborer.
"Due to a weak financial condition of the family, (the) hospital is bearing all of their medical and personal costs" Lal Sen said.
Doctors at the hospital are planning to operate and remove Sahana's lesions soon.
Lal Sen said her condition is not very serious and since she has a milder form of the disease, the team is confident that they can clear Sahana's face within one surgery.