Luis Manuel Gonzales, a 10-month-old baby from Mexico, weighs as much as an average 9-year-old child at 62 pounds. The baby's rare weight condition has left doctors puzzled.
Rare Weight Condition
When Luis was born, he - just like his older brother Mario - weighed 8 pounds, which is considered to be in the range of healthy sizes for newborn babies.
However, two months later, Luis began to gain more weight (at 22 pounds) and started to wear clothes for 2- to 3-year-old children. By the time Luis reached his 10th month, he already weighed 62 pounds.
Isabel Pantoja, Luis' mother, said that at first she thought her child's rapid weight gain was due to her having "good breast milk."
Luis May Be Suffering From Prader-Willi Syndrome
A number of doctors believe Luis may be suffering from Prader-Willi syndrome, a complex genetic disorder that is caused by the loss of function of specific genes.
Newborn babies who suffer from this genetic disorder are always hungry and are likely to gain too much weight from overeating. Also, the condition often leads to obesity and type 2 diabetes. However, Luis is known to follow a normal diet and he doesn't demand for more food.
Hormone Injections May Help Condition
Luis' rare weight condition has caught the attention of Silvia Orozco, a surgeon who specializes in nutrition. According to Orozco, a lack of certain nutrients in Isabel's diet while she was pregnant with Luis may have caused the problem.
She believes the lack of nutrients caused the child's glands to work improperly and that hormone injections could fix the problem by improving the baby's metabolism.
Parents Facing Difficulties
Luis' parents are now facing difficulties as these hormone injections cost around $550 and Luis' father, Mario Gonzales, earns only less than $200 every month. The family has since created a Facebook page and also opened a bank account in order to raise money for Luis' medical care.
"It hurts to watch the nurses search among the rolls of fat on his arms for a vein," said Gonzales.
Prader-Willi Syndrome
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, Prader-Willi syndrome affects nearly 1 in 10,000 to 30,000 people around the world.
People who suffer from Prader-Willi syndrome may have learning disabilities and experience behavioral problems. Also, some people with this condition have distinctive features such as small hands and feet and a narrow forehead.
