The world's heaviest woman, Eman Ahmed from Egypt, lost 40 kg since admitted to an Indian hospital over a week ago, and is now able to move her limbs and hands, the Indian newspaper The Asian Age reported on Monday.
Ahmed, 36, has been admitted to Saifee Hospital in Mumbai on Sunday 11 February to undergo weight-reduction bariatric surgery by Dr. Muffazal Lakdawala, who succeeded with a fundraising initiative to fly Ahmed to India for treatment.
“She has shown a drastic improvement after losing around 35-40 kg of weight after her admission here. She is responding well to the treatment, and started moving her hands and limbs, which are good signs," The Asian Age reported endocrinologist Dr Shehla Shaikh as saying.
“She has become much more assertive and positive. She is much more happy now and her gestures reflect a cheerful frame of mind. She shows confidence about recovering fully," Dr Shaikh said.
The paper said that a team of 13 doctors is currently working on Ms Ahmed’s treatment; life-saving bariatric surgery for Ahmed will be scheduled after results of her gene study come out in the next four weeks.
Ahmed weighs over 500 kg, and her flight to India earlier this month was the first trip outside her home in over 25 years.
Eman has suffered from obesity since she was a child, due to a hormone imbalance and problems with her glands.
As she reached adulthood, she gained so much weight that she could only move around her house in Smouha, eastern Alexandria, by crawling on her hands and knees.
Eman's family has tried and failed to find appropriate treatment for her disease in Alexandria.
Many doctors have reviewed Eman's case, including in Greece, but she has continued to gain weight, despite having no increase in appetite or food consumption.
Two years ago, Eman was able to crawl around on her knees. Then she suffered an injury and her health deteriorated, leading to a stroke. She is now paralyzed and incapable of movement, spending all her time in bed.
