Toenail Horns Mysteriously Growing From Saudi Woman’s Foot Draw Attention

Toenail horns have reportedly sprouted from the bottom of a woman’s foot, according to new reports from the Mirror and Daily Mail out of the U.K.

The woman, who was not named in either report, was described as a “pensioner” from Saudi Arabia. Thus far, no one knows the reason for the bizarre condition.

However, her son tells the Mail that the odd health situation emerged around three years ago, and his mother has been living in pain ever since.

(And seriously, when you get a look at the GRAPHIC pictures, you’ll understand why.)

The pain brought on by the toenail horns is, in fact, so severe that she has trouble sleeping and “cannot walk,” her son tells the media outlet.

While no one can say what caused it for certain, the family does have theories.

“We believe it was caused after a small piece of metal pierced her foot and remained inside, causing this bizarre condition,” the son claimed, adding that the family is pleading for competent medical intervention so that his mom can walk again.

Speaking to medical professionals about what the condition might be, the Mail said their sources claim these so-called “toenail horns” are probably “cutaneous horns, hard conical projections from the skin made of compact keratin — the same tough protein found in fingernails and skin.”

“Cutaneous horns are are so named as they resemble an animal’s horn,” the site adds.

This certainly isn’t the first time that Inquisitr reported on a health oddity involving finger/toenails. Take this story from 2014 in which a woman had nails growing out of the pores of her skin.

Shanyna Isom started to exhibit symptoms for this condition as the result of an allergic reaction. Following an asthma attack in 2009, she was given a steroid that caused the first signs of the mystery illness to develop.

At the time of the report, there was no diagnosis and no cure, and it had caused her to rack up more than $1 million worth of medical expenses.

That number was growing exponentially due to the purchase of expensive medicated pads that ran around $25,000 per month.

Treatments were administered by doctors and medical researchers at John Hopkins University.

Through intensive treatment, they have managed to remove the hard, spiny growths from the follicles on Isom’s head, but she continued to suffer with the condition on other parts of her body (i.e. back and shoulders).

What do you think causes conditions like this and that of the toenail horns?

[Stock image via ShutterStock]