MEDICAL MYSTERY: 12-year-old boy just 68 lbs. after seemingly losing all sense of hunger and thirst

IOWA (WITI) -- A 12-year-old Iowa boy has seemingly lost his sense of hunger and thirst -- and it's a medical mystery that has baffled his parents and doctors.

According to The Des Moines Register, 12-year-old Landon Jones is never hungry or thirsty. He has gone from 104 lbs to just 68 lbs.

And he might be the only person in the world with this bizarre medical condition.

The Des Moines Register reports it all started on October 14th, 2013.

Landon woke up in the morning -- suddenly having lost all sense of hunger and thirst. He was dizzy nearly to the point of passing out, and his chest was clogged with phlegm.

"Something happened in the middle of the night. He woke up this way, and it hasn't stopped," Landon's father, Michael Jones said.

A chest X-ray eventually revealed a bacterial infection in Landon's left lung that eventually cleared.

But that was just the beginning of the young boy's doctor's appointments and medical tests.

Landon's parents believe his condition could be caused by a malfunctioning hypothalamus. The hypothalamus regulates hunger and thirst and other autonomic functions.

Landon's parents say three years ago, Landon was treated for "absence seizures" -- where he would stare into the distance, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings.

He was prescribed a drug called Depakote -- and Landon's parents say they wonder whether there's any link between that drug and toxicity on the hypothalamus.

The Des Moines Register reports Landon now is being considered for an appointment at the National Institutes of Health.

CLICK HERE for much more on this story via the Des Moines Register.