Proteus Bone Disease

Commonly called Proteus syndrome, Proteus bone disease is a rare condition that causes a variety of symptoms. Proteus syndrome received its name from German pediatrician Hans-Rudolf Wiedemann after the Greek god Proteus, who was able to change the shape of his body.

Significance

• There are only about 50 patients worldwide who are considered documented cases of Proteus syndrome, according to the University of Kansas Medical Center.

Causes

• Proteus syndrome is a genetic disorder that is present in patients at birth, reports the New Zealand Dermatological Society.

Types of Symptoms

• Symptoms of Proteus syndrome include limbs that are gigantic in proportion to the body and asymmetrical, an organ or bone that is oversized, raised rough skin, overgrowth of tissue on the bottoms of your feet, patches of overgrown blood vessels or lymph cells inside your body, too much or too little fat in a particular location on the body, the presence of benign tumors throughout your body and the formation of blood clots.

Time Frame

• Symptoms of Proteus syndrome usually develop during late infancy or during the first few years of childhood, explains the New Zealand Dermatological Society.

Treatment

• There is no cure for Proteus syndrome and no particular form of treatment, but laser treatments and surgery are sometimes used to correct disfigurements related to the disease. Doctors monitor patients carefully to ensure that any tumors that form are not cancerous and that blood clots are dissolved before they can travel to the lungs or brain and cause life-threatening complications.

Famous Ties

• Joseph Merrick, the man portrayed in the play and movie "The Elephant Man," is now believed to have suffered from Proteus syndrome, reports the Proteus Syndrome Foundation.