Tragic! Boy who aged 10 times faster than normal dies at just 15 (photos)
– A 15-year-old suffered from extremely rare ageing disease
– All his short life the teen campaigned for more research funding
– He fell ill from dehydration and later died
Nihal Shrinivas Bitla has died at the age of just 15 after suffering from a rare condition
Nihal Shrinivas Bitla, who was diagnosed with progeria as a baby, lost his battle with an extremely rare disease that caused his body to age ten times faster than normal. He passed away at the age of 15 at a hospital in Karimnagar in Telangana state, India, this week.
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Throughout his life Nihal had officially presented the Progeria Research Foundation’s campaign trying to raise awareness about the mysterios condition and find children with undetected cases.
A campaign called #finding 60 in India is working towards finding undetected cases in India
Nihal had to deal with stigma from the disease and stopped going to school. He liked painting and even gifted one of his works to a popular Indian actor. When the boy was just 10 he already had the physical body of a 60-year-old man!
Despite his efforts to raise awareness Nihal had to deal with stigma of the disease and stopped going to school
Those born with progeria typically live to their mid teens to early twenties and Nihal’s parents had tried to fill his life with so much bright moments as they could. The teen attended a wedding with his mother and father when he suddenly fell ill and was hospitalised.
READ ALSO: Children with illness that makes them look 10 times their age
The teenager’s parents said that they had tried to give Nihal as normal a life as possible
There, doctors tried to save his life but unfortunately he died form dehydration caused by hardened arteries, a typical problem in old people.
Only 56 children were diagnosed with progeria around the world in 2009
As there is no known cure, few people with progeria exceed 13 years of age. At least 90% of patients die from complications of atherosclerosis, such as heart attack or stroke.
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