Young Boy’s Battle with Childhood Obesity: Unmasking A Rare Case of Prader-Willi-Syndrome

Authors

  • Madhabi Karmaker Junior Consultant, Department of Medicine, Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) https://orcid.org/0009-0009-1902-8058
  • Md Nazmul Huda Registrar, Department of Medicine, DMCH
  • Tanzina Zahan Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology graduate, School of Life Sciences, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet
  • Tamzid Hasan Arnab Intern, Department of Medicine, DMCH
  • Fabiha Sarowar Intern, Department of Medicine, DMCH
  • Debashis Mohanta Consultant, ZH Shikder Women’s Medical College, Dhaka
  • Musleh Uddin Sumon Postgraduate Trainee, Department of Medicine, DMCH, Dhaka
  • AKM Sajedur Rahman Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, DMC

Keywords:

Obesity, Obesity related complications, Hyperphagia, Prader-Willi syndrome

Abstract

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is one of the most prevalent causes of syndromic obesity. This genetic disorder begins with hypotonia and poor feeding in the neonatal period, later evolving into hyperphagia and rapid weight gain during early childhood, frequently leading to severe obesity in adolescence and adulthood. We report a case of a 14-year-old boy presenting with morbid obesity (BMI: 47.4) and related complications. Before admission, he was not properly evaluated for obesity. Along with obesity, the presence of hypogonadism, undescended testes since childhood, learning difficulties, poor academic performance, and behavioral abnormalities, including temper tantrums and emotional outbursts, raised a strong suspicion of Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS). We used the consensus criteria for the diagnosis of PWS clinically and focused on managing obesity with a dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist; the patient achieved a remarkable weight loss of 25 kg over one year and marked reversal of obesity–related complications, significantly improving the patient’s overall health and quality of life. 

J MEDICINE 2026; 27(2): 151-154

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Published

2026-09-06

Issue

Vol. 27 No. 2 (2026)

Section

Case Reports

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How to Cite

Karmaker, M. ., Huda, M. N. ., Zahan, T. ., Arnab, T. H. ., Sarowar, F. ., Mohanta, D. ., Sumon, M. U. ., & Rahman, A. S. . (2026). Young Boy’s Battle with Childhood Obesity: Unmasking A Rare Case of Prader-Willi-Syndrome. Journal of Medicine, 27(2), 151-154. https://doi.org/10.3329/jom.v27i2.92098