World’s heaviest woman seeking Indian help ode to medical expertise
The world’s heaviest woman’s name is Eman Ahmed Abdelaty. She weighs 500 kg and hails from Egypt. To alleviate her problem, she has sought the help of Indian doctors, which many see as yet another instance of the world seeking out some of the world’s best medical help to solve a problem.
A couple of days ago, Eman was admitted at the Saifee Hospital in Mumbai. And the world’s eyes, or at least those eyes with an interest on medicine has turned to that particular space. With so much pressure on them, it’s worth checking out how the doctors handling the case are making progress.
Weight reduction by 80 kg in 4 weeks being aimed
It’s been reported that the doctors aim to reduce the woman’s weight by 80 kg in the coming four weeks. Her treatment has already started and she is on a high-protein, high-fibre diet and dairy supplement diet.
The further course of treatment- whether it be weight loss surgery or continuing the medical management regimen will only be decided four weeks from now when Eman’s gene test reports would be in.
“There is lot of fluid overload in her system. We want it to come down. Also, we are going to rule out the genetic disorders before we decide on the course of surgery,” said Dr. Muffazal Lakdawala, tha bariatric surgeon in charge of Eman, who treats her with a team of more than 13 specialists. These include specialists from nephrology, neurology, endocrinology, nutrition, anesthesia, pulmonary medicine, physiotherapy and anesthesia.
It’s been reported that the doctors have initiated a study that will look into 91 separate gene types concerned with obesity-related syndromes. The report, it is said will take four weeks.
If a surgery is called for, Eman would undergo a sleeve gastrectomy procedure which would bring down the stomach size by about 15 percent.
According to Dr. Lakdawala, the patient’s diet isn’t enormous. “She eats very less, but her metabolism is so low that whatever she eats gets absorbed and pushes her weight up.,” he says. The doctor said that the patient suffers from hypertension, hypothyroidism, diabetes, sleep apnea and gout. The doctors would first bring such conditions under control which would in turn help reduce the body weight.
Eman weighed 5 kgs at birth. Neither of her two sisters is obese. But soon after birth, she started putting on weight. By the age of 11, she couldn’t walk and had to drag herself on her knees. Eventually, it came to be that she was unable to step out of home anymore. In fact, this is the first time in 25 years that Eman is brought out of her house- a feat that required breaking down the balcony wall of her home in Egypt.
Eman’s sister, Shaaima has been taking care of her for the past several years and has also accompanied her to Mumbai. In her own words, “Eman is very happy. She has been thanking everyone who has helped her.”
Provided that Dr.Lakdawala’s treatment plan meets with success, Eman would lose a minimum of 200 kg when she returns home- something that would enable her to sit up and eat on her own. “If all goes as we hope, we are planning a second surgery after two years in which we will bypass the small intestine completely,” said the doctor.
Image credits: alrai.com