Pakistani man, 32, covered in hundreds of bubble-like tumours
Pakistani man with hundreds of bubble-like tumours is forced to live as a recluse because people wrongly fear he can infect them
- Ameer Ali has had small tumours on his abdomen and back since childhood
- But seven years ago, the benign tumours spread and also grew bigger in size
- Doctors believe the 32-year-old suffers from a severe case of neurofibromatosis
- The incurable condition causes small lumps to grow on the coverings of nerves
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A man with hundreds of bubble-like tumours has been forced to live as a recluse – because people fear he is contagious.
Ameer Ali, from Sehwan Sharif in Pakistan’s Sindh province, has had small tumours on his abdomen and back since his childhood.
But seven years ago, the benign tumours spread to his legs, arms, neck, head and face and also grew bigger in size.
Doctors believe the 32-year-old suffers from a severe case of neurofibromatosis, a condition that causes lumps to grow on the coverings of nerves.
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Ameer Ali, from Sehwan Sharif in Pakistan’s Sindh province, has had small tumours on his abdomen and back since his childhood
But seven years ago, the benign tumours spread to his legs, arms, neck, head and face and also grew bigger in size
The most common form of the condition, type one, affects around one person in 3,000 to 4,000. There is no known cure.
Mr Ali, who used to work as a daily wager earning a mere £2, had to leave his own home to avoid embarrassment for his family.
He said: ‘Though I had these bubble-like tumours since my childhood but they never affected my life as they were small in size.
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‘I was living happily with my wife and two young daughters.
‘But at the age of 25, the tumours started spreading to my legs, arms, neck, head and even face and soon my wife lost interest in me.
‘In order to save my daughters from shame I left my home.’
Doctors believe the 32-year-old suffers from a severe case of neurofibromatosis, an incurable condition that causes lumps to grow on the coverings of nerves
Mr Ali, who used to work as a daily wager earning a mere £2, had to leave his own home to avoid embarrassment for his family
Leaving the home didn’t change things for Mr Ali, as soon his friends and neighbours too started ignoring him, forcing him to live as a recluse.
He told local reporters: ‘People fear that I might infect them. My friends, neighbours stopped talking to me. Nobody would give me work.
‘The worst thing was when a few years back when I visited a tea stall in the neighbourhood and observed that my friends, with whom I used to work and have tea there since my child, didn’t talk to me.
‘They would leave when they will see me coming.
‘One day the owner of the tea stall called me and said that because of me his business is getting affected and that I must not come here.’
The daily humiliation from family, neighbours and friends, forced Mr Ali to finally leave the town.
He began looking for a new job but struggled to find one.
Finally, he received a call from his cousin living in a small village in Nawabshah town.
He said: ‘I went to my cousin’s place and worked as a domestic help at his home. He talked to several people about my job but nobody hired me.
‘Luckily, four months ago I got a job to take care of 30 goats with a monthly salary of £16.
‘With my cousin’s help, I sometimes also get chance to work as a labourer for £2 a day.’
He told local reporters: ‘People fear that I might infect them. My friends, neighbours stopped talking to me. Nobody would give me work’
Mr Ali said: ‘Though I had these bubble-like tumours since my childhood but they never affected my life as they were small in size’
What is Neurofibromatosis?
Neurofibromatosis is the name of a group of conditions that cause lumps to grow on the coverings of nerves.
There are two main types, the most common being Type 1 or NF1. It affects around one person in 3,000 to 4,000. There is no known cure.
NF is caused by a mutation in one of the genes. About half of the people who have NF have no family history of the condition.
This is called a spontaneous gene mutation. The other half of people will have inherited NF from their mother or father.
Some sufferers are affected by neurofibromas, which usually appear during adolescence.
These may first appear on the skin as a purplish mark, before a small fibrous lump appears.
They can also grow along deeper-seated nerves inside the body, which can be painful if knocked.
The lumps can increase in number during a person’s lifetime.
NF has also been linked to an increased risk of stroke if growths develop on nerve cells in the brain and cut off the organ’s blood supply.
There is no treatment to stop the lumps from appearing, although surgery or laser treatment can sometimes be used to remove them.
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