Anxious parents, Rameshbhai and Pragnaben Nandwana say they are struggling to handle their overweight children, who are already trying to eat themselves to death as a result of eating so much. According to their mother, Pragnaben Nandwana, all three suffer breathing problems, even in their sleep, as a result of the health problems caused by excessive eating. Four-old-daughter Amisha weighs 51 kilos, three times more than an average child her age. Older sister Yogita weighs in at 33.5 kilos while brother Harsh already weighs 16 kilos at 18 months old.
The children’s weights are increasing at an alarming rate, although their fourth sibling, Bhavika, has a healthy size. According to MailOnline, when the children were born, their parents, who are from Gujarat in India, didn’t spot anything out of the ordinary, but later did, the moment the children started eating solid foods from very tender age; then they realised something was not right.
The parents said:
'The children seemed healthy and normal when they started on solid food but they started eating like adults – they eat five or six ‘roti’ flat breads. If we didn't feed them, they cried.'
All three of the children continue to consume massive portions of rice, flat bread, and dhal. The father said:
'We were unable to cope, the kids are suffering too. At this age kids generally run and play but ours are having trouble. Once seated, they can't get back up.'
The couple sought treatment to help their children at Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad. Assistant Professor of Paediatrics at Civil Hospital, Doctor Charul Purani pointed out that the children’s case is a rare one. He said:
‘This is a rare case that I've seen for the first time. They have a lot of respiratory problems. They are not able to breathe properly when they sleep.'
A series of tests were carried out on all three siblings and blood samples were sent to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge where they were tested as part of an international study into the genetic causes of child obesity.
Professor of Metabolism, Sadaf Farooqi said:
'We looked at the leptin receptor, which is a gene in the brain that works to regulate appetite, and that's where we found a mutation. All three children have the same problem, which is a defect that stops that gene from working and as a result their brain does not receive the signal telling them they're full.'
As at the time of this story, no treatment has been found for the children’s condition, but the doctors admitted that they are hopeful. The father of the kids also said he has high hopes that treatment will make his children healthy, some day.
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