Five siblings have been cruelly branded ‘aliens’ due to a mystery condition which has left them with unusual facial features.
Doctors are puzzled by the disorder, which has left them with widely-spaced eyes, overgrown cheekbones, nose bumps and uneven teeth.
Isaias, Graciosa, Preciosa, Antonio, and Miguelina Bautista all have the condition, yet their seven brothers and sisters do not.
Since childhood, they have been mocked, called cruel names, and even told they were aliens.
‘At one point, we even started to believe it,’ says Isaia. ‘People would say that we were like that, extraterrestrials.
‘Then later, we found good people who told us, no, you are human beings.’
As well as their facial difference, Isaias, Graciosa, Preciosa, Antonio, and Miguelina suffer from headaches, breathing difficulties, dizziness, and body aches.
The siblings are from a poor family in the small community of Jinova de San Juan, Dominican Republic, and have found it difficult to find work as employers discriminate against them due to their appearance.
They have also struggled to get a diagnosis for their condition, which medics suspect is leontiasis but have failed to give them a definitive answer.
Leontiasis, commonly called lion face syndrome, is an overgrowth of the cranial and facial bones, resulting in a lion-like appearance.
Neurologist Dr Franly Vazquez describes it as a ‘very rare disease of which fewer than 40 cases have been reported worldwide’.
‘Affected patients have a buildup of calcium in the bones that form the face and skull,’ he added.
The unchecked growth of the Bautista siblings’ facial bones can severely compress nerves, leading to blindness, hearing disorders, intellectual disabilities, and other adversities.
In fact, Dr Vazquez believes it is incredible the siblings are still alive.
He told local media: ‘Unfortunately, there is no treatment to cure this disease – the treatment is aimed at improving symptoms.’
The only existing treatment involves exposing the overgrown bone, and chipping away pieces, or excising entirely where possible.
The Bautista siblings are seeking donations as they battle for a diagnosis and treatment.
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