Acromegaly
Yao suffered from hypertension, heart disease, poor nutrition, and osteoporosis. Acromegaly often results from a tumor within the pituitary gland that causes excess growth hormone secretion. As a result, the body's features become enlarged. It can also delay the onset of puberty as was the case with Yao -- she had no secondary sexual characteristics. Potential complication lacking surgery includes blindness and eventually premature death.
She lived near her mother (who is only four feet, eight inches tall) in a small village in rural China.
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