[Wren]

Abul Bajandar
Jan 2017

Tree man' of Bangladesh is CURED of condition that turned his hands into branch-like warts after 16 operations, doctors hope

A Bangladeshi man dubbed the 'tree man' because of the bark-like warts on his body has undergone treatment that doctors hope may have cured him of his condition.*

Abul Bajandar has had at least 16 operations to remove 11 lbs of growths from his hands and feet since his condition came to doctors' attention a year ago.

The 27-year-old former rickshaw driver is one of only four people in the world ever to be diagnosed with epidermodysplasia verruciformis, an extremely rare genetic condition dubbed 'tree-man disease' that left him unable to hold his three-year-old daughter.

Bajandar's cure was a remarkable milestone in the history of medical science,' said Samanta Lal Sen, plastic surgery coordinator at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

'We operated on him at least 16 times to remove the warts. The hands and feet are now almost fine. He will be discharged within next 30 days after a couple of minor surgeries to perfect the shape of his hands,' Sen said.

Sen believes Bajandar could become the first person to be cured of the disease, provided the warts do not grow back.

Only last year an Indonesian man died of the rare genetic condition.

Speaking from his bed at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, which has been treating him free of charge, Bajandar said the pain of his condition had been 'unbearable'.

I never thought I would ever be able to hold my kid with my hands,' he said, showing a bandaged hand.

'Now I feel so much better, I can hold my daughter in my lap and play with her. I can't wait to go back home.'

Bajandar, who comes from a poor village in the southern coastal district of Khulna, became a celebrity after his condition was widely covered in local and international media.

He met his wife Halima Khatun before he contracted the disease, but it had taken hold by the time they married, against her parents' wishes.

All three have lived in the hospital since he was admitted for the first surgery nearly a year ago.

'He is probably the most loved and longest-staying patient in this hospital,' said duty doctor Nurun Nahar.

Bajandar initially thought the warts were harmless, but they eventually covered his hands and feet, forcing him to stop working.

Now he plans to set up a small business using donations received from well-wishers across the world.

[Wren]

Ripon Sarker
Aug 2016

Meet the boy turning into a 'human tree' because of extremely rare and painful condition

Youngster Ripon Sarker has only just been able to have hospital treatment for the condition, which causes the growth of scaly warts.

The young boy was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital on August 20.

His dad Mahendra Das said: "They haven't carried out tests on him. Physicians say they will look into this matter before treatment."

Poor Ripon cannot walk or eat by himself because of his tree-like features – but doctors have said they are hopeful that his hands and feet are operable as his fingers and toes and can still be identified.

Ripon's symptoms match the ones of 26-year-old Abul Bajander – dubbed '*tree man*' – who also has the same condition and was recently operated at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Burn and plastic surgery unit coordinator Samanta Lal Sen said: "We are hopeful about the child's situation.

"In Abul's case, we couldn't distinguish the warts from his fingers.

"Ripon's warts have not expanded to that extent yet. He can identify his fingers and toes.

"We might be able to treat him with fewer operations."

The physician went on to explain that the child's family is extremely poor.

He said: "That's why he lacks proper nutrition. His physical development has been hampered as well. We need to give him proper nutrition before the operations begin.

"He might require blood as well."

Abul, 26, went under the knife in March to treat the extremely rare growths.

During the procedure, doctors operated on his right*hand*to eliminate some of the smaller warts.

The medics estimated the growths removed weighed at least 11 pounds.

They also suggested Abul would need at least 15 further operations in the course of one year.

Samanta Lal Sen, faculty director at the hospital, said: "We removed some small warts from his palm but Bajandar would need up to 15 operations in total to rid his body of the growths in one year."

[Wren]

Sahana Khatun
Jan 2017

Bangladesh treats first case of 'tree girl' syndrome

A young Bangladeshi girl with bark-like warts growing on her face could be the first female ever afflicted by so-called ‘tree man syndrome’, doctors studying the rare condition said Tuesday.

Ten-year-old Sahana Khatun has the tell-tale gnarled growths sprouting from 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.

Less 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 told AFP.

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 Dhaka 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 told AFP.

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 five kilogrammes (11 pounds) 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 told AFP last month 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.

[Wren]

‘Scared’ father of Bangladesh ‘tree girl’ ends treatment

A young Bangladeshi girl diagnosed with a rare condition known as “tree man syndrome” has left hospital, her father told AFP Monday, saying he feared she would never be cured.

...

Doctors hailed the initial surgery as a success, but Sahana’s father Mohammad Shahjahan said it had only aggravated her condition and he wanted to spare her from further procedures.

“They removed the bark-like growths and they grew again more thick and strong,” he told AFP.

“I am scared. They said my daughter needed another 8-10 operations. But what’s the guarantee that she will be cured after that.”

https://www.google.ca/amp/www.herald...treatment/amp/

[Ninjavandal]

Ah shit, now I'm going to hurl for sure!