Rare disease causes a girl in Slovakia to have skin as thick as a turtle's shell

A rare genetic condition causes a girl in Slovakia to have skin up to 8mm thick, lose her eyelids, two fingers and four toes and cannot regulate her body temperature.

According to Independent, right from the time of birth, Elizabeth Kadlecik had a skin condition called Harlequin ichthyosis, causing her baby's skin to grow fast and up to 8mm thick like a turtle's shell. This is a very rare genetic condition, affecting 2 out of every 1,000,000 babies born worldwide.

The girl's mother, Natalia, shared that when she was 30 weeks pregnant, the doctor said that the baby girl would be born with both mental and physical disabilities but did not give an accurate diagnosis of this condition.

Right from birth, the skin on Elizabeth's face and chest stiffened, making it difficult for her to breathe.

When she was born before 6 weeks prematurely, Elizabeth was immediately transferred to the intensive care unit because the hard skin around her face and chest made it difficult for her to breathe. During the few weeks after birth, the thick and hard skin restricts the baby's growth, causing facial and body deformities. The condition was so serious that doctors said the girl had no hope of living. Fortunately, after 5 weeks of sedation, Elizabeth survived.

This rare skin condition causes the baby to lose eyelids, 2 fingers, 4 toes and cannot regulate body temperature due to lack of sweat. Because the condition is so rare, plastic surgeons can't yet remove the thick layer of skin right after the baby is born.

Elizabeth's parents worried that their baby's skull might be hindered from growing, so they took a risk and performed a risky surgery to remove the excess skin and luckily it was successful.

The rare skin condition caused Elizabeth to lose her eyelids, two fingers and four toes. (Photo: Independent).

"Within a few days, Elizabeth was released from the cocoon like a butterfly," Natalia announced on her personal page.

Elizabeth is currently the only patient in Slovakia with this atopic dermatitis.

Every day, Elizabeth is given eye drops and gel every hour because she cannot close her eyes; Bandage the body, shower twice to exfoliate to remove excess skin and apply moisturizer at least 6 times.

Her mother said that if she didn't moisturize at the right time, Elizabeth's skin could crack and bleed, posing a risk of infection. This condition has caused the baby to have to have 3 blood transfusions.

Natalia said: "We follow all the rules and regimens for skin and eye care, and make sure she doesn't get too hot. When properly cared for, Elizabeth feels comfortable, happy and compatible. worked with us like any other healthy child. Fortunately, his mental abilities are not affected. Some have even said that children with this condition tend to be very intelligent."

The mother also said doctors had mixed opinions about how long her daughter might live. Some say the baby won't live past 20, while another doctor says there's no reason why Elizabeth can't live to old age.

"Elizabeth's future is a big question, even for specialists, but we don't blame anyone. In the future, I will teach her at home. She may need plastic surgery. eyelids, fingers, toes and ears in the future," shared Natalia.