A rare medical condition where fibrous bands form around fingers or toes, progressively restricting blood flow and potentially causing tissue damage.
From Yoruba 'ayin' (to cut) + 'um,' describing the characteristic cutting action of the fibrous bands. The condition was documented in West African medical traditions long before Western medicine identified it.
Ainhum is a medical mystery—it primarily affects people of African descent and predominantly targets the fifth toe, but doctors still don't fully understand why it happens. The condition was known to African healers centuries before being 'discovered' by Western medicine!
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