'Stranger Things' star Gaten Matarazzo raises public awareness of rare bone disorder

Gaten Matarazzo, who plays Dustin Henderson from Netflix's popular show Stranger Things, has single-handedly been raising awareness about his rare genetic bone condition — cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD), a new study suggests. Reportedly, Matarazzo was born with the disorder that affects one in a million people. The disorder that primarily affects the growth of teeth and collarbones, was even written into the plotline of Stranger Things. 

Researchers from Oklahoma State University in Tulsa discovered that this boosted Google searches of the condition by 94%. Reportedly, a page about CCD received a 125-fold increase in views the week after the premiere of season 3 in July 2019. 

Raising awareness for a rare disease

Matarazzo's disorder finds a mention in every season of the hit show. Matarazzo has even spoken about it in several talk shows where he appeared as a guest.

According to the research published in JAMA Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery on Thursday, there was a spike in searches for the disease after the release of each season. Following the release of season 1, Google searches increased by 11.2% and this was followed by an increase in searches by 12.9 per cent after season 2.

There were notable spikes in the searches for the disease that coincided with Matarazzo's appearance on the UK's Jonathan Ross Show. According to reports, the study's co-author has said that Dustin's toothless grin is a fan favourite.

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What is cleidocranial dysplasia?

Cleidocranial dysplasia is a rare disorder that affects development of the bones and teeth. Individuals with cleidocranial dysplasia have underdeveloped or absent collarbones, also called clavicles. Cleidocranial dysplasia is an inherited disorder and the people with the disease may not lose their baby teeth and not grow collarbones. Cleidocranial dysplasia is often underdiagnosed because the majority of individuals only have mild symptoms. People affected by Cleidocranial dysplasia tend to be shorter than their family members, have flat feet, knock knees, and a wide, short skull.

Other shows like House and Chasing The Cure have in the past promoted rare diseases and attempted to get them into the limelight, Stranger Things was different because the rare disease was not the central theme of the show. Other shows focusing on curing the rare diseases but Stranger Things and Gaten Matarazzo promoted Cleidocranial dysplasia by just being a lovable character on a very popular show.

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Stranger Things is an American science fiction horror series that was created by the Duffer Brothers and is available on Netflix. The first season of the show was released in 2016. The show is set in 1983 Indiana and focuses on the disappearance of a young boy amid supernatural occurrences.

(Image Credit: AP)