A birth defect in which a human being has more than usual number of limbs, or a disease in which the feet of the patient face backwards. In India, such people are either considered a little embodiment of God himself or just evil. Heard of ghost with feet turned backwards? Well, these are nothing but some really serious genetic disorders. Some people with these disorders live a normal life and some die within a half hour of their birth.

Human beings shape their lives from the moment they are born until their last breath and in between they are diagnosed with a lot of diseases. But, these are some disorders which generally starts even before they are born.

Here is a list of some really horrifying genetic abnormalities and reasons behind them:

Ectrodactyly
Famously known as ‘lobster claw hand’ or ‘split hand malformation’, individuals with this disorder have a cleft where the middle finger or toe should be. This genetic malfunction generally happens when there are some deletions, translocation, and inversions in chromosome 7.

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Proteus Syndrome
Proteus Syndrome is a rare genetic disorder in which bones, skin, and other tissues are overgrown. The disorder results from a mutation in a gene called AKT1 which controls cell growth. In this disorder, some of the cells grow and some don’t. This difference in the sizes of cells causes the overgrowth.

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Polymelia
Polymelia is a birth defect in which the affected individual has more than the usual number of limbs. This deformity is generally said to be the result of a partially absorbed conjoined twin. The defect can also be found in animals.

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Neurofibromatosis
The exact cause of this genetic disorder is not known. In this disease, the skin of the patient starts getting thick and lumpy and a bony lump grows on the patient’s forehead. The doctors suggested that the disorder is a combination of several diseases such as neurofibromatosis type I and Proteus syndrome.

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Diprosopus
Also known as craniofacial duplication, Diprosopus is an extremely rare hereditary disorder in which parts (or all of the face) are duplicated. This anomaly is the result of abnormal activity by the protein named SHH (sonic hedgehog).

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Anencephaly
Anencephaly is the absence of a major portion of the brain, skull, and scalp that occurs during embryonic development. However, it is widely accepted fact that children born with this disorder only lack the largest part of the brain consisting mainly of the cerebral hemispheres.

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Feet facing backwards
Wang Fang, a young woman from China, was born with this rare disorder which caused her feet to grow backwards. When she was born, it was feared that she wouldn’t be able to walk properly but she has been as normal as any other human being.

Cutaneous horn
The disorder is also known as cornu cutaneum. The cutaneous horn is an unusual skin tumor in which a horn appears on the body parts of the patient. The horn could be of wood or coral. They are small but in very rare cases, they can get really large. A French woman, Madame Dimanche’s horn measured 10 inches.

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Harlequin ichthyosis
Harlequin ichthyosis is a very rare and often fatal genetic skin disorder. Babies affected with Harlequin ichthyosis are born with extremely thick plates of skin separated with deep red cracks over their entire bodies.

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Cyclopia
This rare disorder is generally characterized by the failure of the embryo to properly divide the tracks of the eye into two hollows. The disease is very common in animals and very rare in human beings.

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