Post by Radrook Admin on Jan 24, 2020 0:15:30 GMT -5
The Girl Whose Muscles Are Turning To Bone
Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is an extremely rare connective tissue disease. It is a severe, disabling disorder with no cure or treatment and is the only known medical condition where one organ system changes into another.
The disorder is caused by a mutation of the body's repair mechanism, which causes fibrous tissue (including muscle, tendon, and ligament) to be ossified spontaneously or when damaged. In many cases, otherwise minor injuries can cause joints to become permanently frozen in place, as new bone forms and replaces the damaged muscle tissue. This new bone formation (Known as "Heterotopic Ossification") eventually forms a secondary skeleton and progressively restricts the patient's ability to move. Circumstantial evidence suggests that the disease can cause joint degradation separate from its characteristic bone growth.
Surgical removal of the extra bone growths has been shown to cause the body to "repair" the affected area with even more bone. Although the rate of bone growth develops differently depending on the patient, the condition ultimately leaves those affected in a "frozen" position as new bone replaces musculature and fuses with the skeleton. Some patients have attempted to position their bodies in a position they would prefer to be locked into during a flare-up. This is not usually successful.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibrodysplasia_ossificans_progressiva
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibrodysplasia_ossificans_progressiva