Yao Defen dwarfs nurses at Ruijin Hospital yesterday. The 2.36-meter woman from Anhui Province receives treatment for gigantism, which has led to other conditions such as hypertension and osteoporosis.

     BEIJING, May 19 -- At a height of 2.36 meters and weight of 180 kilograms, the world's tallest woman, a 36-year-old Anhui Province native, had once worked for a circus and was recruited for a basketball team at age 15.

    But last year, the disease that caused Yao Defen's extreme height - called gigantism - has taken a potentially fatal turn. She is bedridden, and doctors say that without proper treatment the woman from a poor farmer's family could die within a year.

    When the Discovery Channel learned of her story, it decided to shoot a documentary film on her and help her receive proper treatment.

    With the filmmaker's assistance, she arrived at Shanghai's Ruijin Hospital on Wednesday for treatment of her disease, the benign pituitary tumor that caused the disease and a myriad of medical complications.

    "I was shocked when I saw Yao, who is so huge but has to stay on the bed all the time. There is nothing in her room but a bed," said Ning Guang, Ruijin's vice president. He flew to Anhui to check Yao's disease last week. "She suffers from hypertension, heart disease, poor nutrition and osteoporosis. She can die within one year due to cardiovascular complications if she doesn't receive effective treatment."

    Ning said Ruijin will provide free treatment, which should last for three to four weeks and cost about 100,000 yuan (US$12,483).

    Yao said she is so eager to live a normal life.

    "My biggest dream is to take care of myself and open a small store to support myself, however such a simple desire is quite difficult for me," said Yao. "I have to stay in the bed all the time, as I am too weak to stand up. My life is fully dependent on my mother, who is already 70 years old."

    Gigantism results from excessive secretions of growth hormone during childhood, before the closure of the bone growth plates. The excessive secretions are stimulated by the tumor.

    The hormone disorder can also delay puberty, which is the case with Yao, who has no secondary sexual characteristics. She has a male-sounding voice.

    Doctors said they will work out a treatment plan. Surgery to remove the tumor is a common treatment, augmented by medicines and other therapies.

    "Examination is also difficult, since Yao's body is too big for many machines," said the vice president of the hospital.

    (Source: Shanghai Daily)

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