Bangladeshi 'tree man' to have branch-like warts removed

DHAKA, Bangladesh, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- A Bangladeshi man with a condition dubbed "tree man" disease is set to have the bark-like warts on his hands and feet removed free of charge.

Doctors said Abul Bajandar suffers from a condition called epidermodysplasia verruciformi, which caused tree branch-like warts to begin growing on his limbs when he was only 10-years-old.

Samanta Lal Sen, director of the Plastic Surgery and Burn Unit at Bangladesh's state-run Dhaka Medical Hospital, said Bajandar has one of the most severe known cases of the condition, which is also known as "tree man" disease.

"This is one of the most rare cases of disease that I have seen in Bangladesh, even in the world," Lal Sen told CNN.

Doctors said the in condition is caused by a defect in the immune system that increases susceptibility to human papilloma virus, or HPV.

Bajandar, a former rickshaw driver, said he was forced to stop working when the growths became too severe for him to use his hands.

Surgeons in Dhaka offered to perform surgeries free of charge after learning of Bajandar's plight.

"The surgery is a lengthy process and will involve many [operations]. The whole process can take up to six months," Lal Sen said.

Lal Sen said doctors from around the world have offered their assistance in the case.

"An American doctor emailed us today asking for blood and biopsy sample of the patient," he told The Daily Star.