The man whose swollen legs weigh the same as a PANDA: 26-year-old defies doctors expectations to make it past his 20th birthday after contracting a disease from a mosquito bite

  • Liu Zhongqiu, from China, wasn't expected to turn 20 as a result of elephantiasis
  • It was caused by parasitic worms entering his body when he was just a child
  • It has left him unable to urinate and caused his legs to weigh 323lbs (150kg)
  • Mr Liu claims to have given up all hope of his legs ever returning to normal

By Stephen Matthews For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

A 26-year-old man's legs have swollen to enormous proportions as a result of a disease that should have killed him years ago.

Liu Zhongqiu, from Fuxing City, China, was told he would not live to see his 20th birthday because of his elephantiasis.

It was caused after parasitic roundworms entered his body through a blood-sucking mosquito as a child, local reports suggest.

Despite defying doctors expectations, it has left him unable to urinate and caused his legs to weigh around 323lbs (150kg) - roughly the same as a Giant Panda.

Mr Liu claims to have given up all hope of his legs ever returning to normal, and now only wants to extend his prognosis.

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Liu Zhongqiu, from Fuxing City, China, was told he would not live to see his 20th birthday because of his elephantiasis

Liu Zhongqiu, from Fuxing City, China, was told he would not live to see his 20th birthday because of his elephantiasis

But the disease is worsening as each day passes, with the swelling beginning to reach his abdomen, slashing his chances of survival. 

Mr Liu, whose greatest fear is one day waking up to find both of his legs have 'exploded, said: 'They told me I wouldn't live past 20, but it's now been seven years. I believe I am a miracle.' 

Known in its fuller form as lymphatic filariasis, more than 120million people are currently infected, figures suggest.

It is characterised by massive enlargement of an area of the body and is caused by the obstruction of the lymphatic system.

Despite defying doctors expectations, it has left him unable to urinate and caused his legs to weigh around 323lbs (150kg)

Despite defying doctors expectations, it has left him unable to urinate and caused his legs to weigh around 323lbs (150kg)

This results in the accumulation of fluids in the affected part of the body, medical literature states. 

Mr Liu told reporters in his hometown that his condition all started after he was bitten by a mosquito as a child.

His genitals instantly began swelling to such a degree that he had to have his testicles relocated into his stomach.

Ever since being told he would never live to see 20 back in 2000, he has been travelling to different provinces in China in an attempt to look for best doctors to treat the symptoms of his disease.

He is now begging on the streets of Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei Province, and using the money he gets to visit hospitals in the city.

WHAT IS ELEPHANTIASIS?

Elephantiasis is normally caused by a parasite from a mosquito bite and is usually found in tropical parts of the world.

It is characterised by massive enlargement of an area of the body and is caused by the obstruction of the lymphatic system.

This results in the accumulation of fluids in the affected part of the body.

According to the World Health Organisation, nearly 1.4billion people in 73 countries worldwide are threatened by the condition, which is also known as lymphatic filariasis.

WHO figures suggest that approximately 80 per cent of these people are living in Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nigeria, Nepal, Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania.

More than 120million people are currently infected, with about 40 million disfigured and incapacitated by the disease, the organisation claims.

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