BANGLADESH — The tree man syndrome has been known to afflict only a handful of people around the world, all of them male. But now doctors fear the rare disease has found its first female victim. <br /> <br />When bark-like warts began appearing Sahana Khatun’s face four months ago, her father wasn’t too concerned, the Guardian reported. But the growths soon worsened, spreading rapidly across the 10-year-old’s nose, ears, and chin. <br /> <br />Sahana’s father is a poor laborer from a village in Bangladesh’s rural north, but he was so worried, he took his daughter all the way to the capital Dhaka for treatment. <br /> <br />Doctors suspect the young girl has the tree man disease, but are still carrying out tests to confirm. <br /> <br />Sahana has been admitted to the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, the same center that’s been providing treatment for Abul Bajandar, 27, known as the tree man of Bangladesh. <br /> <br />The tree man endured 5-kilogram growths on his hands and feet, before receiving multiple surgeries for over a year to have them removed completely. <br /> <br />Doctors are hopeful that Sahana has a milder form of the disease, which they say can clear with one surgery.
