The world’s heaviest woman has lost 550lbs (250kg) after bariatric surgery in an Indian hospital.
Eman Abd El Aty’s family said she originally weighed 1,100lbs – and was unable to leave her home for 25 years.
The Egyptian underwent bariatric surgery at Mumbai’s Saifee hospital two months ago.
The hospital said Eman Abd El Aty could now fit into a wheelchair and sit up for longer periods of time.
The surgery was performed by a team of doctors led by bariatric surgeon Dr. Muffazal Lakdawala.
The hospital has released new pictures of Eman Abd El Aty following weight reduction surgery.
Bariatric surgery, also known as weight loss surgery, is used as a last resort to treat people who are dangerously obese (having a BMI of 40 or above, or 35 with other obesity-related health conditions).
Dr. Muffazal Lakdawala said in a statement that Eman Abd El Aty continued to “rapidly” lose weight, but added that a stroke she had suffered as a child meant that she was still paralyzed on one side of her body and continued to suffer convulsions. She also has difficulty speaking and swallowing.
The statement added that the hospital was now waiting for Eman Abd El Aty to lose enough weight for her to be able to fit inside a CT scan machine to ascertain the cause of her stroke.
Dr. Muffazal Lakdawala said the next stage of her treatment involved putting her on a trial drug for obesity after six months. The hospital is currently attempting to procure the drug from a US based pharmaceutical company.
Eman Abd El Aty’s family says she weighed 11lb at birth and was diagnosed with elephantiasis, a condition in which body parts swell due to a parasitic infection.
By the time she was 11, her weight had risen sharply and she suffered a stroke which left her bedridden.
Eman Abd El Aty is cared for by her mother and sister.
Her weight loss means she may no longer be the heaviest woman alive.
The Guinness world records says the heaviest woman living is American Pauline Potter, who weighed 293.6 kg (643 lbs) when measured in July 2012.
