A five-year-old boy who weighs more than 12 stone could die at any time by suffocating on his own fat.
Misael Abreu is three times the size of his friends and has an insatiable appetite.
His concerned parents say their son often stops breathing in his sleep and they are terrified of losing him.
Dad Manoel, 38, said: “He is a baby carrying an adult’s weight. His heart must be under a lot of pressure.”
Misael, from Espírito Santo, Brazil, was born a healthy 6lb 6oz, but immediately started piling on the pounds.
Doctors think he has rare Prader-Willi syndrome, which leaves him constantly hungry,Barcroft Media reported.
Mum Josiane de Jesus Caldogno Abreu, 37, said: “He has been putting on a lot of weight since he was a baby – even when I was breastfeeding him it was more than expected.
“But it was only when he was one and a half years old that we began to worry. He was gaining 3kg (6.6lb) a month and was starting to get very heavy.”
The boy, who weights 12 and a half stone, is still gaining almost 4lb a month despite being on a low-fat diet and walking 40 minutes a day.
He visits a doctor every three months to try and control his condition but there is no cure.
Model Katie Price’s son Harvey, 13, also has the genetic condition, forcing her to put “padlocks the kitchen door” to stop him gorging.
His mum said her son was determined not to let his huge size hold him back.
She said: “I live for my son – he is so special. His teacher told me that everything the other children do, he wants to do as well.
Paediatric neurologist Lucio Coelho Miranda who treats Misael, said: “Every appointment we have had he has put on a lot of weight – sometimes up to 5kg (11lb).
The Mirror
