Health & Well-being

The man with a ‘horse’s neck’: Alcoholic develops enormous fat deposits around his throat after drinking almost ONE LITRE of hard liquor every day for three decades

 

A Chinese man who drank almost a litre of white spirit a day for over three decades has developed a fatty tumour around his throat that made him ‘the man with the horse’s neck’.

The man, named as Hong Shu, has been diagnosed with the rare Madelung disease, where fatty deposits accumulate in various areas of the body including the neck, arms and legs, reported People’s Daily Online.

Hong, from Guangzhou, southern China, recently underwent multiple surgeries to remove the deposits and is due to be discharged from hospital.

Diagnosis: Hong Shu (pictured) was diagnosed with Madelung disease where fat deposited around his throat

Diagnosis: Hong Shu (pictured) was diagnosed with Madelung disease where fat deposited around his throat

Suffering: The growths on his throat and neck (above) makes it difficult for him to move, eat and even breath

According to reports, Hong Shu has been suffering from Madelung disease for over a decade but it was only recently diagnosed.

There are only around 400 instances of the extremely rare disease world-wide.

Hong, now 53, started seeing changes his body more than 10 years ago. It started with swelling behind both of his ears but gradually spread to around his throat area.

Overtime, the fatty deposits took over his neck, forming what’s been various described as horse, cow, and even camel neck.

Hong became withdrawn, depressed and rarely went outside.

Before his recent surgeries, the swelling around Hong’s throat was more than six inches wide and around five and half inches long.

On his neck, Hong also had two lumps, which measured more than seven inches wide.

Cause? Madelung disease is associated with alcohol abuse but non-alcoholics and also develop it (file photo)

MADELUNG DISEASE FACTS

  • Madelung disease is a rare condition where fatty deposits form around the neck, arms and upper torso
  • The ‘fat tumours’ are generally benign but could become cancerous
  • It affects men aged between 30 and 70 with a history of long-term alcohol abuse but people outside of this criteria can also be affected
  • Sufferers can experience difficulty swallowing and breathing as well as mobility problems
  • The disease is usually treated with surgery or liposuction

Source: Genetic and Rare Diseases (GARD) Information Center 

Since the beginning of this year, the swelling around Hong’s neck has grown enormously and he has been experiencing difficulties in turning his neck, swallowing and even breathing.

After examinations and X-rays, doctors diagnosed Hong with Madelung disease and has attributed the cause to his excessive drinking.

Hong is said to consume up to two litres of Chinese spirit bajiu a day. The distilled spirit is made from rice, sorghum or other grains, and has an ABV of anywhere between 40 and 60 per cent.

Over the space of 30 years, Hong has consumed tens of thousands of litres of the hard liquor, triggering the disease.

Hong underwent three successive surgeries to remove the fatty deposits and is said to be recovering and ready to be discharged.