Mermaids are mythical creatures that appeared in the stories of different tribes and peoples in different periods of human history. For some, these creatures were kind, while for others – evil. In the modern world, disputes still arise regarding these creatures. But while people are wondering if there are mermaids or not, children are born with the "mermaid syndrome". Unfortunately, this disease has nothing to do with fairy tales and is a serious disease that often ends in death. Today Estet-portal will tell you about this disease.
Sirenomelia – This is a rare and deadly disease that is characterized by deformity of the lower extremities. It occurs once in a hundred thousand newborns. Most often, this phenomenon occurs among identical twins. Scientists cannot unambiguously say what is the cause of this anomaly, but can only diagnose its appearance in the early stages of fetal development.
An anomaly is formed in the vascular network due to lack of blood. Arteries do not form in the umbilical cord, and the limbs cannot form normally. Therefore, the legs are more like a tail. With sirenomelia, the development of the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys is disturbed, and often there are no external genitalia and perforation of the anus.
The statistics on this disease is extremely deplorable. In most cases, the fetus dies while still in the womb, and those who are born most often cannot live more than a few days due to the development of anomalies in the internal organs.
But there are exceptions to the rule. In 1988, Tiffany York was born, and she had a successful operation, thanks to which she is alive to this day. The bones of her legs never got stronger, but even so, the girl was able to learn to walk. She is the oldest patient with this disease. This was the first operation to separate limbs in a child with "mermaid syndrome". Another girl Shiloh Pepin, who was born in 1999 and lived for 10 years without surgery to separate the limbs. She attended school and led an active social life. A foundation named after her was created, which still exists today. The Foundation helps people with rare diseases.
The editors of Estet-portal sincerely hope that soon science will be able to figure out the causes of this disease and sirenomelia will cease to be a sentence. Moreover, the development of modern technologies in the field of medicine allows us to believe in it. And we will follow this development and tell you about all the innovations in this industry.
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