The 12-year-old girl battling with 'tree man' disease that has caused her chest and arm to resemble bark

 

 

The 12-year-old girl battling with 'tree man' disease that has caused her chest and arm to resemble bark

• Known only as Muktamoni, the Bangladeshi girl's upper body has been ravaged
• Left in unbearable pain, the right side of her chest has turned completely brown
• And her right hand, which is infested with parasites, is growing uncontrollably
• Bizarrely, the other side of her chest appears unaffected by the rare condition
• But doctors remain adamant the disease has spread through her entire body

These shocking images depict the plight of a 12-year-old girl who is slowly being transformed into a tree.

Known only as Muktamoni, the Bangladeshi girl's upper body has been ravaged by 'tree-man' disease, local reports suggest.

Left in unbearable pain, the right side of her chest stretching down to her hand has turned completely brown - resembling that of bark.

Her right hand, which is infested with parasites, also appears to be growing uncontrollably, curling up and making it impossible for her to use.

Spread throughout 

But bizarrely, the other side of her chest is unaffected, despite doctors saying the disease has spread through her entire body.

Currently Muktamoni is at Dhaka Medical College Hospital receiving help, her father Ibrahim Hossain told reporters. 

It is unsure whether the girl actually has epidermodysplasia verruciformis (EV) or not, the strange condition dubbed 'tree-man disease'.

If she was found to be affected, figures suggest it would make her just one of half a dozen sufferers in the world.

The condition

  

EV is a rare and inherited skin disorder which creates wart-like lesions and reddish-brown pigmented plaques anywhere on the body.  

In order to inherit the disease two abnormal EV genes, one from each parent, must be present, medical literature states.

No serious treatment against the condition, which is triggered by HPV, has been found, yet several treatments have been suggested.

Bark-like warts

Muktamoni's story comes after MailOnline reported in January about a man dubbed the 'tree-man', also from Bangladesh.

Abul Bajander had bark-like warts on his body, but underwent treatment that doctors hoped would cure him of his condition.

At the time, the 27-year-old was believed to be one of only four people in the world to be diagnosed with the rare genetic condition.

Tell-tale growths 

In the same month, the tale of a 10-year-old Bangladeshi girl believed to be suffering from the same affliction was told.

Sahana Khatun has the tell-tale gnarled growths sprouting from her chin, ear and nose, but doctors were unable to confirm the disease.

Other notable cases include a Romanian man named Ion Toader who was diagnosed with the condition in March 2007, and the Dede Koswara, from Indonesia.  

WHAT IS EV?

EV is a rare and inherited skin disorder which creates wart-like lesions anywhere on the body.

The condition is caused by infection with HPV and can create widespread skin eruptions, including wart-like lesions and reddish-brown pigmented plaques.

In order to inherit the disease two abnormal EV genes, one from each parent, must be present.

No serious treatment against EV has been found, yet several treatments have been suggested.