Bangladesh's tallest man, who is eight feet, three inches (2.5 metres) in height, is pleading for medical aid to stop his growth and help bring back his appetite.

Parimal Chandra Barman, aged 28, says he does not want to die or become any taller. Although he is hungry, he does not each because food does not taste good to him. According to doctors, Barman, who needs help to stand, is also suffering from acute malnutrition and blood ailments.

Barman is the youngest of six children. His father, a poor fisherman, says Barman was a normal child until 1973 when he started to grow quickly. He says he is too poor to send his son to a specialist.