Recluse is cured of 'tree man disease' which covered hands in bark-like lesions
A recluse suffering from ‘tree man disease’ has reportedly been cured after a groundbreaking new operation proved successful.
Mohammed Taluli suffered from the rare condition for almost a decade before medical experts offered to try a revolutionary new operation.
The 42-year-old, from Gaza, was cured after medics at the Hadassah University Medical Centre in Israel removed every inch of skin on his affected hand, before grafting it from other parts of his body.
The skin graft will now prevent the return of the rare condition, which is known as epidermodysplasia verruciformis (EV).
‘I have been suffering with this for nearly 10 years’, Taluli told the Jewish Press.
‘After years of being ashamed and staying at home, unable to work and unwilling to show my hand to people, I have finally been given some hope of my life returning to the way it used to be.’
During the operation, doctors also feared developing the condition and wore double globes and special masks in a bid to combat it.
Dr Michael Chernofsky, the lead surgeon, said: ‘Aside from the pain, the disease is very dangerous and could easily develop into cancer.
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‘He eventually couldn’t move the hand. He had become withdrawn and fearful of any possible situation that could cause him to show the hand to other people.
‘He kept the hand covered all the time and life was very hard for him.’
EV is an extremely rate condition, and can only be inherited if two abnormal EV genes are carried – one coming from each parent.
