In a rare case, a child from Kazakhstan has been suffering from a skin disease that turns his skin into scales. The boy has been dubbed 'Lizard Boy' due to the extremely unusual condition.
Zhasulan Korganbek, the five-year-old child, suffers from a severe disease, Ichthyosis, which has caused grey and tanned scales to appear on his limbs and chest, reported Daily Mail.
The skin disease is also spreading towards his ears and face. Though the condition improves in sunny weather, it worsens during winter. The disease is mostly inherited by parents and early symptoms appear within the first year of birth.
The term Ichthyosis comes from the ancient Greek word ichthys, which means fish, as it bears similarity to fish scales.
Zhasulan's mother is a carrier of the abnormal gene from whom the boy has inherited the uncurable diseases. Although the mother shows no signs of the condition, there is a 50 percent possibility of the condition to be passed on to children.
The condition hinders the rate of regeneration of the bearer's skin by either causing the skin to shed too slowly or generate new skin cells too quickly, resulting in building-up scaly, rough skin. It can be severe in some cases due to the skin's reduced ability to sweat. It can limit the movement of the body as the skin becomes dehydrated and painful to bend.
Funds have been raised though raffles, concerts and other events to help the boy lead a normal life. People touched by the plight of the boy, have contributed £24,000 for the treatment.
Zhasulan for treatment will be flying to Israel where doctors will be treating him using lasers, salt water baths and creams as there is no other treatment to prevent the rare condition.
Earlier, Zhasulan has received some treatment from hospital in Kazakhstan, who has successfully removed some tough scales of skin, though much of it remains.
"I don't want to be a lizard anymore. I want to be normal," said Zhasulan
"I want my son to be healthy, so he will live a fully normal life, like all the other kids. I sincerely thank the people for their support," said the 26-year-old mother in praise of the donors.
Ichthyosis, a chronic skin condition has no cure but patients can successfully manage the condition with strict skincare routine.
