Rare skin disease Extreme growths in the tree man return

After successful operations: "Baummann" suffers heavy relapse

Bangladesh's Abul Bajandar suffers from an extremely rare skin condition that causes rash-like growth on his hands and feet. Doctors were able to free him in numerous operations from the approximately five kilograms heavy growths. But now the patient, who became known as "Baummann", has suffered a severe relapse.

"Baummann" is feeling worse again

Bangladeshi Abul Bajandar, suffering from a rare skin disease, has suffered a severe relapse. At the beginning of last year it had been reported that there was hope that the patient known as "Baummann" could soon be released from the clinic after numerous operations. But nothing came of it. Now the 28-year-old has suffered a severe setback.

In Bangladesh, a patient known as the "Baummann" was removed five kilos of bark-like growths on his hands and feet. But now warts on the man's hands are growing again. (Image: edwardolive / fotolia.com)

Extremely rare disease

According to the European definition, a disease is considered rare if it affects less than five in 10,000 people. Overall, so-called rare diseases are not so rare. In Germany alone, around four million people are affected.

An extremely rare disease is called epidermodysplasia verruciformis (or Lewandowsky-Lutz dysplasia or Lutz-Lewandowsky epidermodysplasia verruciformis). According to health experts, it only affects a handful of people worldwide.

Abul Bajandar is one of the few patients who has contracted it. More than ten years ago, his hands and feet began to change. Because of the bark-like growths, the now 28-year-old is also called the "tree man".

About a year ago, the patient was considered to have been "cured" after numerous surgeries. But the hopes have not been fulfilled. The disease is back.

Hands like tree roots

In the past year, doctors in Bangladesh were able to rid a girl who suffered from the so-called "Baummann syndrome" of its growths.

Weeks before, doctors at the Dhaka University Hospital (capital of Bangladesh) had succeeded in removing the bark-like growths on the hands and feet of Abul Bajandar, also suffering from this rare skin disease.

The doctors then freed the former rickshaw driver in a costly, but free treatment of a total of five kilograms of excess tissue. 24 operations were necessary for this.

Now he should be removed in another surgery warts, which grew again on his hands. And it probably will not stay that way:

"I am afraid of further operations," the family father told the news agency AFP. "I do not think my hands and feet will be okay."

There is currently no definitive cure

Even the attending physicians acknowledged that they had been happy too early: "We thought we had done it. But obviously we need more time for this patient, "said surgeon Samanta Lal Sen.

The extremely rare genetic skin disease epidermodysplasia verruciformis that the patient suffers from is associated with increased susceptibility to human papillomavirus (HPV).

There is currently no definitive cure for epidermodysplasia verruciformis, according to a report from the portal "Live Science".

In addition to surgery, the treatment may also include medications that are sometimes used to treat skin conditions.

However, although there are some treatment options, "there does not seem to be any curative and the lesions usually recur after the treatment has ended".

Hope has not been fulfilled

Abul Bajandar has been living with his wife and four-year-old daughter in a small room in the Dhaka Hospital since undergoing surgery.

The family intended to return to their home village after the wounds healed. But that will probably not happen for now.

"I was so worried about raising my daughter. I hope the curse will not recur, "the patient said after the surgery last year. But the hope has apparently not been fulfilled. (Ad)