Dhaka doctors puzzled by fouryearold who looks like aged man
A four-year-old Bangladeshi boy suffering from a mysterious illness that makes him look like an aged man has been admitted to a hospital for tests, his family and doctors said.
Born with excess skin that hangs from his limbs and face causing it to sag, Bayezid Shikdar also suffers from related heart, vision and hearing problems.
Doctors at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, a top hospital in Dhaka, have agreed to try to diagnose and treat Bayezid , who comes from a poor farming family, for free.
His father Lablu Shikdar said numerous doctors have been at a loss trying to explain his son’s condition.
“We sold our land to treat him at local hospitals. We took him to religious healers and herbal doctors, but his condition did not change. This hospital is our last hope,” Shikdar said at this week.
“We hope they’ll make him look like any other normal child,” he added.
Doctors initially suspected he suffered from progeria which causes rapid and premature ageing shortly after birth, leading to severe health complications. The extremely rare genetic disorder was the subject of Hollywood movie “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” starring Brad Pitt. But doctors at the Dhaka hospital expressed caution, saying extensive tests were needed before giving out a confirmed diagnosis. “In progeria, the ageing process accelerates with time,” said Abul Kalam, head of the hospital’s burns and plastic surgery unit.
“But Bayezid’s parents have said the ageing of their boy has been halted recently. He has shown signs of improvement. We’re investigating his condition. In addition to loose skin, he has problems in his heart, ear, eyes and penis,” Kalam added.
Doctors also said his genetic condition may be the result of inbreeding, with marriage among relatives, including first cousins, common in Bangladesh’s rural areas.