Bangladesh’s ‘tree-man’ readmitted to hospital over rare skin condition
Dhaka, April 16 (EFE). A Bangladeshi man with large tree bark-like warts on his body because of a rare genetic disorder known as “tree man” syndrome, has been admitted to a hospital in Dhaka once again after years of skipping treatment.
Abul Bajandar, 32, also known as Bangladesh’s “tree man,” was treated at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital from Jan. 2016 until May 2018, during which over two dozen complex surgeries were carried out to remove the tree branch-like lesions growing on his body.
According to his doctors, the man is suffering from epidermodysplasia verruciformis, a rare disease that is not contagious but is incurable. Surgeries only provide temporary relief from the painful and increasing warts.
In May 2018, Bajandar returned to his village in south-western Bangladesh to be with his family. He briefly returned to the hospital in 2019.
However, his dream of living a normal life with his wife and daughter and resuming his work as a driver turned into a nightmare when he noticed the warts were growing at an increased rate once again.
He was readmitted to the hospital on Saturday.
“My condition turned worse after I returned to my village. I could not work and had to live on alms,” Bajandar told EFE at the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka on Tuesday.
“I left the hospital earlier because I could not afford to stay here for a long period of time. (…) Last week I came to see the doctor, who admitted me to the hospital immediately,” he added
Samanta Lal Sen, the coordinator of the National Institute of Burn & Plastic Surgery who has already treated Bajandar in the past, said they had requested him to come back repeatedly but he did not listen to their advice.
“Now he returned in a serious condition. We have to start his treatment from scratch. We are preparing for his surgeries,” he said.
Bajandar is not the only person in Bangladesh suffering from this disorder, as in 2017, a 10-year-old girl was also diagnosed with the same condition. EFE
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