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Young girl feels no hunger and no pain
The newspapers report a special suffering worldwide. A 7-year-old girl from England suffers from a genetic defect in which she feels neither pain nor hunger. This suffering is a great danger. Because protect pain and the hunger indicates that a food intake is pending. For those affected, which is also dubbed "Terminator" girl, there are therefore life-threatening risks.
7-year-old girl feels no pain
About the seven-year-old Olivia F. from England is currently reported in various media worldwide. Doctors call her a "bionic girl." Boulevard media sometimes refer to her as a "Terminator" girl. The seven-year-old suffers from a rare chromosome mutation that lacks part of the genetic material. This defect leads to the girl not feeling hungry, being pain resistant and being able to sleep for days without sleep.
Super powers that can be deadly: little girl is not hungry and no pain. Image: yuryimaging - fotolia Pierced lip without shedding a tear
The fact that Olivia feels no pain, was apparently on several occasions in a dramatic way. For example, an Indonesian news portal reports that the girl in her early years crashed so badly in kindergarten that her teeth pierced her lower lip and she did not even start crying. Another time she was run over by a car and went home with a huge tire mark on her body - without feeling any pain.
Extremely rare chromosome mutation
When the girl was finally examined in the hospital, the doctors found that Olivia suffers from an extremely rare chromosome mutation (chromosome 6p defect). So far, only 100 cases of this species have been registered worldwide. Her mother told British "The Sun": "It's like Olivia is made of steel." It is said that "her symptoms of hunger, sleep and pain are due to this mutation". Since the diagnosis, the mother has been training regular food with her daughter. In addition, Olivia now gets medication to get at least six hours of sleep a night. The lack of pain does not seem to be treatable. And that can be dangerous, considering the earlier accidents of Olivia. The girl had perceived these as little dramatic. A healthy sensation of pain would also be beneficial in later years of life, as pain can often indicate a specific disease.
Gene defects as a cause of pain resistance
The chromosome mutation of Olivia is not the only cause of pain resistance in humans. For example, a few years ago, scientists from the University of Jena reported in a study of a life without pain due to a specific gene change. The researchers had discovered then that the mutated gene with the name "SCN11A" in a four-year old led to it remains completely painless in injuries. And also scientists of the MedUni Vienna reported last year on painlessness due to a gene mutation.
According to the international research team led by Michaela Auer-Grumbach from the University Clinic for Orthopedics at the Medical University of Vienna, the mutation of the PRDM12 gene plays a decisive role in the reduced sensation of pain. (Ad)