Baby born with two faces dies shortly after birth in Erbil

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A baby born with two faces passed away just one hour after birth on Tuesday in Erbil, due to a rare and fatal congenital condition, according to medical officials at Newroz Hospital.

The baby, one of premature twins delivered at seven months of gestation, suffered from Diprosopus, a rare disorder in which parts or all of the face are duplicated on a single head. The second twin survived and remains in stable condition.

The 17-year-old mother and 20-year-old father, who are first cousins, were expecting twins but were unaware of any abnormalities prior to delivery.

“It was not known that the baby had two faces, it was just known that they were twins, that is all. We were planning on naming them Lan and Lina,” the father told Rudaw. He also mentioned his wife is the daughter of his uncle from the father’s side.

According to the father, his wife experienced severe pain in her seventh month of pregnancy. As her condition worsened and posed risks to both her and the babies, doctors decided to proceed with an emergency C-section. “One of the twins died, and thankfully, the other survived,” he added.

Dr. Ali Aswad, head of the neonatal intensive care unit at Newroz Hospital, confirmed that the infant with Diprosopus passed away approximately one hour after birth. A general surgery specialist reported that the mother is recovering well following the operation.

Diprosopus, also known as craniofacial duplication, is an exceptionally rare congenital condition, occurring in approximately 1 in 180,000 to 15 million live births, according to the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). The disorder results from abnormal activity of the Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) protein, which plays a vital role in facial development during early embryogenesis.

While Diprosopus can appear similar to conjoined twinning, it arises from errors in facial patterning rather than the incomplete separation of embryos. Most affected infants are stillborn or die shortly after birth due to associated anomalies, particularly involving the brain, heart, and lungs.

Though the couple are first cousins, experts stress that the overall risk of serious birth defects in children of cousin marriages remains relatively low - about 4 to 6 percent, compared to 2 to 3 percent in the general population. However, for extremely rare and severe conditions like Diprosopus, even a slight increase in genetic risk can have significant consequences.