Woman dies from long-term gastric atrophy, weight dropped from 45kg to 17.5kg
A 27-year-old woman in Guangdong, China, has died after a prolonged battle with chronic gastric atrophy, a condition that caused her weight to fall to just 17kg.
Known online as “Qiaoqiao” (name transliterated), she drew widespread attention after posting a video on 17 July appealing for help, according to Hebei News on NetEase.
Netizens later confirmed that she passed away in the early hours of Wednesday (17 Dec) and was cremated the following day (18 Dec).
Illness linked to years of emotional trauma
Ms Qiaoqiao’s health struggles were closely tied to long-term emotional distress stemming from a series of personal tragedies.
She was abandoned by her mother at a young age, and several years ago, her father died from stomach cancer.
Source: 医疗音乐手绘君 on Weibo
According to Jinyun News via HK01, these experiences caused deep psychological trauma and severe depression.
Medical experts believe the prolonged emotional strain disrupted her bodily functions, eventually leading to gastric glandular atrophy, which made her stomach unable to fulfil its digestive function.
This led to digestive failure and, ultimately, multiple organ failure.
Health deteriorated rapidly after father’s death
Ms Qiaoqiao documented her illness openly on social media.
She shared that following her father’s death, her mental health declined sharply. This was followed by persistent stomach pain and a complete loss of appetite.
Her weight dropped from over 45kg to about 17.5kg.
Source: 医疗音乐手绘君 on Weibo
As her condition worsened, her intestines lost the ability to absorb nutrients.
In her final stages, she relied entirely on albumin injections and intravenous nutritional drips to survive.
She exhausted her savings and went into debt seeking treatment.
Appealed online for help
In her videos, she spoke candidly about being unable to eat or sleep, expressing a strong desire to live and pleading for help from society.
Throughout her illness, her younger brother — her only remaining family member — stood by her side.
Source: 医疗音乐手绘君 on Weibo
Doctors explained that Ms Qiaoqiao’s condition eventually progressed into cachexia, a severe wasting syndrome marked by extreme loss of weight and muscle mass that cannot be reversed through nutrition alone.
They added that depression can disrupt the neuroendocrine system, reducing gastric acid secretion and impairing the stomach’s ability to repair its lining.
Following Ms Qiaoqiao’s death, many flocked onlined to express sorrow over her suffering.
Also read: 39-year-old woman in China weighs just 25kg after taking up to 200 diet pills daily for 12 years
39-year-old woman in China weighs just 25kg after taking up to 200 diet pills daily for 12 years
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Featured image adapted from 医疗音乐手绘君 on Weibo.
