مستخدمة:Marwa Ahmed Atia/ملعب/2

intro

Leontiasis ossea, also known as leontiasis, lion face or Lion Face Syndrome, is a rare medical condition, characterized by an overgrowth of the facial and cranial bones. It is not a disease in itself, but a symptom of other diseases, including Paget's disease, fibrous dysplasia, hyperparathyroidism and renal osteodystrophy.

name

The medical term leontiasis ossea was first used by ancient Greek physician Rufus of Ephesus to describe bone changes caused by disease that made the sufferer appear to have a lion-like face

involves extra growth of the bones of the face, particularly the maxilla or upper jaw. Growth in this area narrows the nasal opening, modifies the mouth, and can even press on the eye orbits and optic nerve, compromising vision.

features

involves extra growth of the bones of the face, particularly the maxilla or upper jaw. Growth in this area narrows the nasalopening, modifies the mouth, and can even press on the eye orbits and optic nerve, compromising vision.

Leontiasis ossea, also known as leontiasis, lion face or Lion Face Syndrome, is a rare medical condition, characterized by an overgrowth of the facial and cranial bones. It is not a disease in itself, but a symptom of other diseases, including Paget's disease, fibrous dysplasia, hyperparathyroidism and renal osteodystrophy.

causes

Although Rufus thought that 'lion face' syndrome was caused by leprosy or elephantiasis, today doctors know that it can be the result of a number of different diseases.

epidemiology

Lion face syndrome is quite rare

Also uncommonly found, fibrous dysplasia mostly affects children and young adults whose skeletons are still developing. In these cases, there is simply too much fibrous bone -- the type of bone formed to heal a fracture -- that gets in the way of normal bone development. This condition can occur in any bone in the human body; when it occurs in the maxilla or other facial bones, it's called craniofacial fibrous dysplasia.

history

Also uncommonly found, fibrous dysplasia mostly affects children and young adults whose skeletons are still developing. In these cases, there is simply too much fibrous bone -- the type of bone formed to heal a fracture -- that gets in the way of normal bone development. This condition can occur in any bone in the human body; when it occurs in the maxilla or other facial bones, it's called craniofacial fibrous dysplasia.

The rarity and confusion around the origin of leontiasis means that few cases are published in the medical and anthropological literature. But since craniofacial fibrous dysplasia very obviously affects the physical appearance of its sufferer, it is likely that historical cases of it have been written up in a variety of languages around the world. An historical synthesis of leontiasis ossea would be an excellent topic for a future undergraduate paper or master's thesis.

great sphinx

One intriguing hypothesis is that leontiasis ossea is much more famously portrayed in the visage of the Great Sphinx of Giza. With the body of a lion and the head of a human, the sphinx represents a mythological hybrid creature. Or could it instead reflect a living model who suffered from overgrowth of the facial bones? In 2005, medical doctor Hutan Ashrafian argued just that in the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation.

Ashrafian sees in the Sphinx a moderate amount of prognathism -- or a jutting-out -- of the jaw. Rather than the jaw being on the upper end of human variation, Ashrafian instead suggests that it could be the result of a pathological condition. Since the Sphinx is part-lion and since leontiasis has been known for millennia, it is possible that the model for the Sphinx was someone suffering from a condition that led to leontiasis. This is all very circumstantial, but if the Sphinx is meant to represent someone specific - such as 4th Dynasty Pharaoh Khafra - it may be worth looking more closely at any mummies that are discovered to see if there is evidence for overgrowth of facial bones.