Child born with 4 legs in MP: Why some babies have extra limbs? Know all about rare birth defect Polymelia

A Madhya Pradesh woman on Wednesday gave birth to a baby girl with ‘four’ legs arousing curiosity and interest from across the country. The baby born at the Kamla Raj Hospital in Gwalior is currently being examined by a team of doctors who are mulling if the extra limbs can be removed. The rare and extraordinary birth is due to a condition known as Polymelia. 

What is Polymelia?

A rare birth abnormality, polymelia affects about 1 in every 1 million live births. There can be several causes why babies can be born with additional limbs. These include genetic mutations, cases where the embryo does not develop normally. It can also be due to exposure to particular environmental conditions. 

The extra hands or legs in such a child may be active and comprise of bones, muscles and nerves. On the other hand, they can lack the necessary body structures needed to be functional. 

Polymelia is treated based on the severity of the condition and the status of the extra limbs of the infant. If the extra limbs do not cause any problems to the child and/or are functional , they can be left as it is. In other cases, doctors may go for surgery to remove them. Polymelia can also be due to natural variation happening in human development and may not be due to a disorder or indicate a genetic abnormality. 

Case of the MP baby girl with 4 legs

The baby girl is healthy and has normal weight. However, she was born with four legs in a physical deformity at birth. As per the team of doctors examining the baby, her deformity is due to a condition called Ischiopagus, where an extra foetus is developed in what starts as conjoined twins. However, one twin degenerates in such cases completely, leaving behind just one or more limbs which then becomes attached to the other twin’s body. 

“When the embryo divides into two parts, the body develops at two places. The lower part, below the waist of this baby girl has developed with two extra legs, but those legs are inactive. Right now the doctors of the Paediatric Department are checking whether there is any other deformity in any part of the body," Superintendent of Jayarogya Hospital Group Dr RKS Dhakad, who is examining the baby girl, was quoted as saying. The doctors will attempt to remove the extra legs through surgery is the baby is health after the examination, he added. 

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