Abu Dhabi: Eman Abdul Atti, believed to have once been the world’s heaviest woman, has been weighed after arrival since arriving in the capital for treatment, hospital authorities said. But her medical team at the Burjeel Hospital would not disclose her current weight.
Instead, they called upon the public to respect the 36-year-old Egyptian’s privacy as she undergoes treatment at the hospital.
“We will help reduce her weight using conservative management techniques,” said Dr Yassin Al Shahaat, the hospital’s chief medical officer. “But it not a priority for us to talk about [her weight].” He added that the bed-ridden woman has pressing medical problems.
These include a severe urinary tract infection, bed sores and a leaking heart valve.
This condition, known as aortic regurgitation, is when one of the heart’s main valves leaks and causes blood to flow in the reverse direction. “We must resolve these issues before looking at long-term treatment,” Al Shahaat added.
Thereafter, the doctors hope to enhance Abdul Atti’s quality of life, including having her sit up.
Abdul Atti arrived in the capital on Thursday night after undergoing bariatric, or weight-loss, surgery at Mumbai’s Saifee Hospital.
She was medically evacuated from the facility following a dispute between the treating surgeon in Saifee and Abdul Atti’s sister, Shaima Selim, 34.
Initial reports from the Mumbai-based hospital suggested that in February, Abdul Atti weighed about 500 kilograms.
The hospital’s chairman and specialist bariatric surgeon, Dr Mufazzal Lakdawala, went on to report that Abdul Atti weighed 176 kilograms after surgery and follow-up treatment.
Abdul Atti’s sister, Shaima Selim, told Gulf News that her sister was still not able to sit, eat or visit the toilet.
However, the Mumbai hospital had said it would soon discharge her so that she could continue treatment in Egypt.
Since her arrival to the UAE on Thursday evening, Abdul Atti has been kept in Burjeel Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit. When she first landed, she had a fever.
The doctor also stressed that her mental health was a key part of her treatment.
“She arrived a very unhappy woman, disconnected from her surroundings, but she is now willing to communicate.
“[This kind of mental wellbeing] is part of our short-term goal. Our aim is not the weight but to give this young lady a better quality of life,” he added.
Her family reported initially that Abdul Atti was diagnosed with elephantiasis, a parasitic infection that leads to extreme swelling in the arms and legs.
She had been bedridden since suffering a stroke at about 12 years of age. Since her stroke, she had not left the family home in Alexandria before finally being transported to Mumbai for surgery.
At Burjeel, Abdul Atti has been subjected to a comprehensive medical assessment. A team of 20 medical experts has checked everything from her vision to her heart, urinary and skeletal health.
She is still connected to a feeding tube, and Al Shahaat said the aim is to gradually introduce oral feeding as long as she can swallow without difficulty.
A goal in Abdul Atti’s treatment will be enabling her to sit up — something she has been unable to do since she was 12 years old, her family say.
“This is our six-month short-term target. At this point, we cannot yet say what else we can offer her,” the doctor added.
Abdul Atti and her sister, Selim, have been issued 90-day single-entry "courtesy visas" by the UAE.
