Deformities Caused by Bizarre Diseases or Physical Anomalies
Some people look very different to others. Find out what diseases or physical anomalies caused their bizarre feature.
Gigantism
Gigantism is the excessive growth of the body due to disturbances in the function and growth of the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland. It is also called giantism. The picture above is the tallest living woman in the world.
Gigantism is characterized by enlarged facial features, enlarged jaw, enlarged frontal bone of skull, widely spaced teeth and enlargement of the bones of the extremities. Other features include enlargement of the lips and nose, thickening of the soft tissues of the face, somnolence, moodiness and decreased libido. The above photo is the tallest living man alive.
Dwarfism
If there are extra large or tall people there are also extra small. This abnormal growth is called dwarfism. Dwarfism is a disorder characterized by stunted growth.
Vitiligo
Vitiligo or leukoderma is a skin disorder characterized by partial privation of color in spots with a tendency to increase in size. It is also called piebald skin. The most famous person with vitiligo is Michael Jackson.
Polydactylism
Polydactyly or polydactylism, also known as hyperdactyly, is a congenital physical anomaly having an abnormally large number of fingers or toes. The extra digit is most common on the ulnar or little finger side of the hand. The condition has an incidence of 1 in every 500 live births although the frequency is higher in some groups.
Syndactylism
Syndactilism is the union of two or more digits or toes. It is a condition having two or more digits either of the hand or of the foot wholly or partially united.
Venous Malformation
Venous malformations or cavernous hemangiomas comprise either superficial or deep veins that are abnormally formed and dilated. The walls of these vessels are thin because they lack smooth muscle. Events such as surgery, trauma, infection, or hormonal changes associated with puberty, pregnancy, or menopause may cause rapid expansion. These lesions may be present in the skin, mucous membrane or in any organ system, including the brain, bowel, liver, or spleen.
Clinically Morbid or Severe Obesity
Have you seen a person who is over a thousand pounds in weight? Morbid obesity is a much more severe form of obesity. A person who is 100 or more pounds overweight or twice the ideal body weight is morbidly obese. Morbid obesity affects an estimated 9 million Americans. Morbid obesity is a common condition that can have profoundly negative health and social consequences. It is considered a serious disease and has been linked to shortened life expectancy.
Edema
Edema is a morbid accumulation of serious fluid in various organs or tissues of the body, as the pleural cavity or the retina.
Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate
Cleft lip and cleft palate, which can also occur together as cleft lip and palate are variations of a type of clefting congenital deformity caused by abnormal facial development during gestation. This type of deformity is sometimes referred to as a cleft. A cleft is a sub-division in the body’s natural structure, regularly formed before birth. A cleft lip or palate can be successfully treated with surgery soon after birth. Cleft lips or palates occur in somewhere between one in 600-800 births.
Elephantiasis
Elephantiasis is the final chronic stage of a filariasis caused by the presence in the blood and lymph of a parasitic nematode worm. It is characterized by the thickening and hardening of the skin, together with an enormous enlargement of the part affected, usually the lower extremities. Its proper medical name is “neurofibrome.”
With God’s mercy and blessings plus advance technology in science and medicine, something can still be done to either cure an unusual disease or correct a physical defect.
For more bizarre diseases and conditions and other related articles – check the ff:
20 Most Bizarre Congenital Defects/Abnormalities
Common and Rare Birth Defects or Congenital Disorders and their Causes
Bizarre Mental Disorders and Conditions
The Most Bizarre Sexual Disorders
Bizarre Deadly Diseases Transmitted by Animals to Humans 2
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Liked it
salvatore | Jun 11, 2008 | Reply
very interesting, yet also scary, well done Buddy
Eddie Starr | Jun 11, 2008 | Reply
hmm, I sure did not know about vitiligo, thanks for the article Norbert!
tracy sardelli | Jun 11, 2008 | Reply
excellent article, i had never heard of some of these diseases before.
quiet voice | Jun 11, 2008 | Reply
…hi nobert, this makes you so
thankful when your children
are healthy and quote and unquote
normal, if there is such a thing.
Take care.
Ruby Hawk | Jun 11, 2008 | Reply
We are indeed lucky if our children do not have these kind of disorders.
Anna Ski | Jun 11, 2008 | Reply
Hi Nobert,
We should thank god everyday about the normal people we are and look around us and not expect too much from life, of that we already have, cause look what’s happening around the world.
It’s hard to care about someone deformed in any way and that we have no right to separate ourselves from them because they probably wish that they never lived to see normal life.
May god bless them. As for you, Nobert very well written and
thought of.
Darlene McFarlane | Jun 12, 2008 | Reply
A very interesting article. As other readers have said, we should indeed thank God for our good health. I certainly didn’t know that Elephantiasis was caused by a parasitic worm. I have seen cleft lip before but I didn’t know how extreme it could sometimes be.
Anne Lyken-Garner | Jun 13, 2008 | Reply
These are awful illnesses. I can only be thankful that we don’t have any of them. My grandmother had a touch of elephantaisis in one leg, but it was only slightly swollen. I know that it can get pretty bad in some people.
Alexa Gates | Jun 14, 2008 | Reply
wow…
Lucy Lockett | Jun 15, 2008 | Reply
That was an eye opener, I had no idea about the severity of cleft palate. Informative, thanks.
Fernando | Jun 17, 2008 | Reply
I love how you happen to put God’s mercy in there. If you truly believe in God, then you also believe that he decided that somewhere in his plan that little girl had to have a facial deformity and everyone else on that list to suffer horribly with the ailments that they happen to suffer from. You cannot include the words along with medical advances, as they happen to be two completely different fields. 1 billion people praying for these people to get better will do less than one doctor in a hospital.
ddd | Oct 13, 2008 | Reply
Why are all you people thanking god when if there was a god he would be the one making all the terrible suffering people with rare diseases go through?
dorothy | Jan 12, 2009 | Reply
God does not creat these horrible illnesess. It comes from the evil one who chose to think of himself as higher than our creator. When man decided to disobey god that is what started the worlds problems such as ilness. Our creator only wants us to be whole, healthy human beings. He died for our sins as well as by his stripes we are healed. God does not stop our free will but he is waiting and willing to heal and make us better so we can glorify him for what he does. Only he can save and heal us through the blood of his son Jesus.