4 year old baby weighs 51 kg
Little Peter Leonard's body is four times bigger than his three-year-old brother and his weight has continued to increase by 7kg in the past two months.
The boy also had a congenital penis defect, respiratory defects and a rare chromosomal disorder called 22q11.2 duplication.
Baby's mother, Miss Trinity,was the first to notice her son's unusual weight gain at age 2 and his insatiable hunger. She lostPeter's diet is very large, he mainly drinks water and skim milk. She also adds vegetables to his meals, gives him smoothies to provide fruits and vegetables. Trinity also hides all the food, Peter cannot eat by himself unless given food. The family often creates conditions for him to exercise, such as going swimming regularly...
"Despite changing my diet and exercise, my child still gained weight," she said.
At age 3, Peter weighed 50 pounds and was taken to the doctor by his mother. Trinity had heard about Prader-Willi syndrome, a condition that causes people to feel constantly hungry, and believed her son had it. Doctors refused to do the necessary tests to check for it, and could not explain why Peter was gaining weight so quickly.
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Peter (far left) is four times bigger than his 3-year-old brother (sitting in the middle). Photo:Daily Mail. |
Experts believe that Prader-Willi is a genetic disorder caused by a defect in chromosome 15. In infants, symptoms include poor feeding, weak muscles, and slow growth. As they grow older, children will feel constantly hungry, which can lead to obesity and type 2 diabetes. Other problems include learning difficulties, growth retardation, underdeveloped genitals, stubbornness, and irritability.
The syndrome affects just one in 15,000 children in the UK. Sufferers can eat six times more than other children their age and still feel hungry. It was first described in 1956 by Swiss doctors A Prader, A Labhart and H Willi. The son of former British model Katie Price has also been reported to have the condition.
As there is no specific treatment, parents of children with the disease are encouraged to feed their children a healthy diet and lifestyle. According to the UK National Health Service (NHS), the most dangerous problem for people with Prader-Willi is the constant desire to eat, which can easily lead to obesity, heart disease, cancer or stroke.
Peter is trying to eat healthily and stay active but still struggles to move around because he is so big for his age. Trinity is still worried about his future. "I hope he stays positive," she said.
She recommends that people who are experiencing similar conditions form a support group to help manage the condition.
