neurofibromatose era o que o famoso homem elefante tinha, se não me engano
edit: quem souber ler inglês:
Joseph Merrick was originally thought to be suffering from
elephantiasis. In
1971,
Ashley Montagu suggested in his book
The Elephant Man: A Study in Human Dignity that Merrick suffered from
neurofibromatosis type I, a genetic disorder also known as
von Recklinghausen's disease. This disease is still strongly associated with Merrick in the mind of the public; however, it was postulated in
1986 that Merrick actually suffered from
Proteus syndrome (a condition which had been identified by Michael Cohen just seven years earlier).
[3]
Unlike neurofibromatosis, Proteus syndrome (named for the shape-shifting god
Proteus) affects tissue other than nerves, and is a sporadic rather than familially transmitted disorder. In
July 2003, Dr. Charis Eng announced that as a result of
DNA tests on samples of Merrick's hair and bone, she had determined that Merrick certainly suffered Proteus syndrome, and may have had neurofibromatosis type I as well. As it stands, many people still mistakenly refer to his condition as
elephantiasis.
do que ele sofria mesmo era
Proteus syndrome
edit 2:
"with estimates that about 120 people are currently with the condition"