Iowa boy with mystery illness has no sense of hunger, thirst
QMI AGENCY
First posted: Wednesday, October 29, 2014 05:58 PM EDT | Updated: Wednesday, October 29, 2014 06:07 PM EDT
Michael and Debbie Jones worried for more than a year about their son Landon, and for good reason -- on Oct. 14, 2013, the Cedar Falls, Iowa, boy woke up with no sense of hunger or thirst.
"Landon was always very energetic, always wanting to ride his bike. And then on October 14 of last year he woke up and it stopped," Landon's dad told The Des Moines Register.
Since that day, Landon, 12, has been suffering from dizziness and lost almost 40 pounds, weighing just 68 pounds. He also missed 65 days of school last year due to illness.
Despite his parents' urgings, Landon insists he is not hungry or thirsty and continues to waste away.
"We feel that we will see him deteriorate before our eyes," Michael said.
The cause of his rare problem is unknown. Some suggest a malfunctioning hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls food and water intake.
And it may be the first case of its kind.
For a year, Landon underwent a battery of tests in several clinics and hospitals in five different cities.
He is now waiting for a consultation at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., a centre specializing in rare cases.
A possible next step includes inserting a feeding tube into Landon's abdomen.
Iowa boy with mystery illness has no sense of hunger, thirst | Weird | News | To
QMI AGENCY
First posted: Wednesday, October 29, 2014 05:58 PM EDT | Updated: Wednesday, October 29, 2014 06:07 PM EDT
Michael and Debbie Jones worried for more than a year about their son Landon, and for good reason -- on Oct. 14, 2013, the Cedar Falls, Iowa, boy woke up with no sense of hunger or thirst.
"Landon was always very energetic, always wanting to ride his bike. And then on October 14 of last year he woke up and it stopped," Landon's dad told The Des Moines Register.
Since that day, Landon, 12, has been suffering from dizziness and lost almost 40 pounds, weighing just 68 pounds. He also missed 65 days of school last year due to illness.
Despite his parents' urgings, Landon insists he is not hungry or thirsty and continues to waste away.
"We feel that we will see him deteriorate before our eyes," Michael said.
The cause of his rare problem is unknown. Some suggest a malfunctioning hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls food and water intake.
And it may be the first case of its kind.
For a year, Landon underwent a battery of tests in several clinics and hospitals in five different cities.
He is now waiting for a consultation at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., a centre specializing in rare cases.
A possible next step includes inserting a feeding tube into Landon's abdomen.
Iowa boy with mystery illness has no sense of hunger, thirst | Weird | News | To