Myanmar's tallest man seeks medical aid abroad

YANGON // "Big Zaw" has known he was different since a teenage growth spurt sent him soaring above his neighbours in a remote Myanmar village.

Now at 233cm he is believed to be the country's tallest man, and a recent rise to fame means he can finally seek treatment abroad for the health condition behind his towering height.

"My friends call me Big Zaw," said Win Zaw Oo, who is significantly taller than the 168cm average Myanmar man.

"I do not fit in an ordinary car. When the doctor brought me here, he had to hire a truck," said the 36-year-old, who was given access to health care after a story about him in state media this year sparked a flurry of interest from reporters and medical experts.

He is now set to undergo surgery in Singapore for a pituitary gland tumour, which causes the body to produce excessive growth hormones, because the procedure is too advanced to be carried out in Myanmar.

Win Zaw Oo, who left Myanmar last week, said he was anxious about the trip.

"I have only seen a toy plane before, so I feel a bit worried about having to fly. But if it is for my health, I must do it," he said.

Decades of military dictatorship in the country left the vast majority of citizens without access to even basic health care, as the junta state focused on its military spending.

A new quasi-civilian regime took power in 2011, but medical care remains woefully inadequate.

Official figures show the state only allocated about 1 per cent of its expenditure to health care in its 2011 to 2012 budget, rising to 3 per cent in 2012 to 2013.

Win Zaw Oo's condition, acromegaly, which can lead to gigantism when it develops in puberty, is extremely rare.

Accurate data for Myanmar is unavailable, but Britain's Pituitary Foundation said only around four to six new cases per million of the population are diagnosed each year.

It said health risks include "diabetes, high blood pressure and heart problems with a reduced life expectancy compared to the normal population".

Doctors said only one other extremely tall person has been recorded in recent memory in Myanmar.

Zee Kwet Sein, who is believed to have died in the 1970s, was left blind by her condition and her exceptional height saw her exhibited at fairs in the country's central region.

Win Zaw Oo's recent fame had led him to consider the possibility of a film career to help support his family, although he would rather start a business with his sisters.

But the condition takes its toll.

"I cannot move quickly like the others do. I feel depressed about that sometimes," he said, adding that he does not expect to have a family of his own but hopes medical care will secure his future.

"After the treatment is finished it will be enough to live my life, even if it does not change my appearance," he said.

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