Epidermodysplasia verruciformis, commonly known as tree man disease, is a very rare inherited skin disorder.
This autosomal recessive disease, which makes the individuals prone to human papilloma viruses, is characterized by growth of wart-like lesions, scaly macules and papules, particularly on the hands and feet, giving the appearance of tree bark or tree roots. In 30-60% of Epidermodysplasia verruciformis patients, the wart-like lesions are said to turn cancerous.
The first documentation of Epidermodysplasia verruciformis was made by Lewandowski and Lutz in 1922. Although over 200 people worldwide are said to suffer from this rare disorder, it received media attention in March 2007 when pictures of Ion Toader, a Romanian who was diagnosed with Epidermodysplasia Verruciformis, were published on the internet. The same year, in the month of November, the case of an Indonesian man named Dede Koswara, who was also suffering from this extraordinary skin condition, was reported in the press. Dede Koswara succumbed to his illness late last month.
Another case of tree man disease made headlines in 2009 when the case of Zainal, who is also from Indonesia, was reported.
The most recently reported case of tree man disease is that of a Bangladeshi. The man named Abul Bajandar, who is also suffering from Epidermodysplasia verruciformis, recently underwent surgery to get the bark-like warts on his hands and legs removed.
The tree man disease, which is caused by alterations in two adjacent genes called EVER1 and EVER2, located on chromosome 17q25, requires a multipronged treatment approach in removing the warts, and if the warts become malignant, chemotherapy and radiation treatments are required. However, there is no treatment yet to prevent the development of new lesions/warts.
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