Bangladeshi boy with 'old man' illness puzzles doctors

A 4-year-old boy in Bangladesh has a mysterious illness that makes him look like an old man — with extra skin that causes his face and limbs to droop, as well as heart, vision and hearing problems. 

Doctors at a hospital in the capital of Dhaka agreed to treat Bayezid Shikdar for free after hearing about his sickness. He's since been admitted to the hospital for tests, according to AFP. 

Shikdar comes from a poor farming family. His father, Lablu Shikdar, said many doctors have been puzzled by his son's mysterious illness, AFP reported. 

"We sold our land to treat him at local hospitals. We took him to religious healers and herbal doctors, but his condition did not change. This hospital is our last hope," Shikdar told AFP at Dhaka Medical College Hospital this week.

Shikdar said the hope is for his son to resemble any other 4-year-old. 

Abul Kalam, head of the Dhaka hospital's burns and plastic surgery unit, said doctors were cautious about giving a definitive prognosis. 

"Bayezid's parents have said the aging of their boy has been halted recently. He has shown signs of improvement," Kalam told the AFP.  "We're investigating his condition."