Described clearly as a syndrome only as recently as 1983, Proteus syndrome, named for the Greek god, Proteus the polymorphous, is a progressive disorder associated with characteristic abnormalities in growth, skin and subcutaneous tissue, and the skeletal system. Current evidence suggests that Joseph Merrick (known as the Elephant Man) probably had Proteus syndrome, not neurofibromatosis as had been long thought. The name indicates the wide variability in expression of the disorder: Abnormalities of various degree may develop in virtually all bodily systems. Indeed, too many abnormalities occur occasionally to list here. The disorder does not appear to be familial, and its specific cause is unknown. As might be expected considering the variability of bodily areas affected, somatic mosaicism is a likely basis. The disorder is rare, with only 90 confirmed cases worldwide (Proteus Foundation, 2001).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Described clearly as a syndrome only as recently as 1983, Proteus syndrome, named for the Greek god, Proteus the polymorphous, is a progressive disorder associated with characteristic abnormalities in growth, skin and subcutaneous tissue, and the skeletal system. Current evidence suggests that Joseph Merrick (known as the Elephant Man) probably had Proteus syndrome, not neurofibromatosis […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-109204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-p"],"yoast_head":"\n