Butcher's leg reportedly swells to over 300 pounds after contracting parasitic infection
A butcher in Pakistan is pleading for doctors to amputate his 330-pound leg despite allegedly being told that the surgery could kill him. Muhammad Mushtaq, who said he first noticed a lump on his leg two years ago, is currently bedbound and was diagnosed with elephantiasis.
Elephantiasis is characterized by gross enlargement of an area of the body, typically involving the limbs, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD). It can also affect the genitals, and is caused by the obstruction of the lymphatic system, which results in the accumulation of fluids. The main symptom is swelling with the skin of infected areas becoming ulcerated, pitted, dry and thickened.
