Nine-year-old’s belly swelled to THREE TIMES the size of a beach ball

Boy, nine, is in constant agony after a rare condition caused his belly to swell to THREE TIMES the size of a beach ball and left him with deadly liver failure

  • Aneet Ur Rehman has Budd-Chiari syndrome, which blocks his liver’s veins 
  • Youngster has been told he needs an urgent liver transplant in order to survive
  • His family cannot afford the £35,000 needed for him to have the operation 

A nine-year-old boy is in constant agony after his belly swelled to three times the size of a beach ball.

Aneet Ur Rehman, of Karachi, Pakistan, suffers from Budd-Chiari syndrome, a rare condition which blocks the veins that should drain his liver.

As well as causing the youngster extreme abdominal pain and bloating, the syndrome has also led to life-threatening liver failure.

Aneet, whose condition forced him to quit his studies, has been told he will die unless he has an urgent liver transplant.

But the waiting list for the procedure is long and Aneet’s family cannot afford the £35,000 needed to have the operation done privately. 

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Nine-year-old Aneet Ur Rehman is in constant agony after his belly swelled to three times the size of a beach ball. The youngster suffers from the one-in-a-million condition Budd-Chiari syndrome, which caused his abdomen to become severely bloated and has led to liver failure

Aneet’s father Ali Rehman (pictured) quit his job as a plumber in Saudi Arabia six months ago when his son’s condition deteriorated. Now jobless, Mr Rehman cannot afford the £35,000 needed to pay for his son to have the life-saving liver transplant doctors say he urgently needs

Aneet, who has five siblings, was born healthy but started to complain of abdominal pain four years ago.  

His father Ali Rehman, said: ‘Soon his belly started swelling but it was not too big. 

‘However, in [the] past year it has reached this size. He can hardly walk and sleeps in one position. 


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‘If by mistake anything hits his stomach, he writhes in pain and cries incessantly.’

Aneet’s uncle Abdul Rehman, added: ‘It is heartbreaking for all of us to see him in this condition. 

‘He can’t go to school or play with his siblings.’ 

Aneet’s condition forced him to quit his studies; he now spends every day sitting at home 

WHAT IS BUDD-CHIARI SYNDROME? 

Budd-Chiari syndrome affects one in 100,000 people and causes the veins that drain the liver to become blocked.

This leads to a build-up of blood in the liver, which becomes swollen, tender to touch and painful.

Fluid then leaks from the liver into the abdominal cavity, which can cause a huge buldge.

Many sufferers then find it difficult to eat, move and even breathe.

In extreme cases, other blood vessels can also become blocked, leading to swelling in the ankles and legs.

Blood may then try to move around the body in other veins with more fragile walls.

If these burst, it can lead to deadly internal bleeding. 

Liver and kidney failure are also common.

Budd-Chiari syndrome’s cause is unclear but may be due to a genetic fault that affects how a patient’s blood clots.

Liver tumours, inflammatory bowel disease, pregnancy and oral contraception have also been linked to the condition. 

Treatment aims to maintain the flow of blood out of the liver.

This can involve rechanneling blocked veins, managing liver congestion, and preventing blood clots and abdominal swelling.

Stents may be used to keep the veins of the liver open, while anti-clotting drugs can help to maintain blood flow.

If these are ineffective and a patient is suffering from end-stage liver disease, a transplant may be required.

Source: British Liver Trust 

Aneet, who struggles to find clothes that fit him, spends every day at home.

His father was working as a plumber in Saudi Arabia but decided to quit and return home six months when his son’s condition deteriorated.

‘My family [have] taken him to several doctors over the past year,’ Mr Rehman said.

‘Fluid is being drained from his abdomen every month but his condition is not improving at all.

‘We have been recently told by the doctors he is suffering from liver failure and he needs an urgent liver transplant.’

Aneet’s family took him to the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation where they were told many patients are waiting for a liver transplant and there is a shortage of donors.

Mr Rehman, who is now jobless, cannot afford to pay for his son to have treatment at a private hospital.

He has therefore appealed to the public and Pakistani government for donations.

‘A liver transplant at a private hospital will cost us nearly £35,000 and even if I will sell out my whole property, I [still] can’t afford his treatment,’ Mr Rehman said.

‘We don’t want our son to die like this. We want to see him play like normal kids and have a good future.

‘We are appealing to everyone, including the government to help us and save our son’s life.’ 

Dr Arit Parkash, a paediatrician at the National Institute of Child Health in Karachi, said: ‘The boy is suffering from chronic liver disease, secondary to Budd-Chiari syndrome.

‘The only treatment possible was TIPS (Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt) procedure but we don’t have such [a] facility available here.

‘The other treatment could be liver transplant for which we have referred him to SIUT Hospital.’ 

A TIPS connects veins in the liver to other veins of the body, which then drain fluid from the organ.  

Aneet also struggles to walk or find clothes that fit him and can only sleep in one position

His abdomen started swelling four years ago but only recently reached its current size

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