Baby boy whose head has swollen to TWICE its size measuring 69cm is desperate for op
Little Mohammad's head began to swell when he was just days old, but his mum could not afford hospital treatment
A DESPERATE mother his hoping for life-saving surgery for her baby boy whose head has swollen to twice its natural size.
Born a healthy baby boy, Mohammad Hasan’s head started to dramatically swell when he was just two weeks old.
Now, 18-months-old Hasan’s head measures an astonishing 69cm in circumference and is so big he is unable to support the weight of it.
His mother Sharmin Akter, noticed her son’s unusual appearance but couldn’t afford to take him to a hospital that had the facilities to treat his illness.
She said: “When my son was born, his condition was good. After his head started to grow strangely big and I worried to see him.
“Within 16 to 18 days of my child’s birth his head size began to enlarge.
MOST READ IN HEALTH
“After that we took him to the local doctor in our village but due to our financial condition we were not able to take him to any good doctor.”
To add to her worries, 19-year-old Sharmin was abandoned by her husband who blamed his wife for Hasan’s condition.
Sharmin now lives with her father in Laotara Village, in southwestern Bangladesh.
After a local journalist covered Hasan’s story, the toddler was referred to the National Institute of Neurosciences Hospital in Dhaka this month.
Doctors have diagnosed Hasan with hydrocephalus, a condition often referred to as water on the brain.
It is caused by a build-up of cerebrospinal fluid.
Usually the brain produces a pint of this fluid, which protects the brain by removing waste products and providing nutrients.
But when the cerebrospinal fluid doesn’t sufficiently drain, it can place pressure on the brain and in young children, whose skulls haven’t fully hardened and fused, it can cause swelling.
WHAT IS HYDOCEPHALUS?
Hydrocephalus is a build-up of fluid on the brain. The excess fluid puts pressure on the brain, which can damage it.
The damage to the brain can cause a wide range of symptoms, including headache, being sick, blurred vision and difficulty walking.
The brain constantly produces new cerebrospinal fluid (about a pint a day), while old fluid is released from the brain and absorbed into the blood vessels.
However, if this process is interrupted, the level of fluid can quickly build-up, placing pressure on the brain.
Hydrocephalus most commonly affects infants and older people and can be present at birth, develop after birth or develop in older people.
Babies born with the condition need immediate surgery to avoid being left permanently disabled.
It can be successfully treated by placing a drainage tube in the head to remove the fluid.
Left untreated, hydrocephalus can cause long-term complications and even death.
Hasan will be treated by Doctor Sheik Mohammad Ekramullah, the associate professor and head of Paediatric Neurosurgery at the National Institute.
He has treated over 80 children with hydrocephalus.
And Sharmin is hopeful that her son will now get the treatment he needs to overcome his condition.
She said: “I want to see a cure for my son. He is my last hope.”
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368.