Young man with mysterious illness has face of 80-year-old

An unknown disease has caused a 30-year-old man to appear decades older than his actual age.

Mr Yuan Taiping from Chongqing, China, has a face full of deep wrinkles while his body retains a youthful look.

A photo of the man holding up his identity card showed he was born in 1985. His face also appeared to match his age then.

Mr Yuan told Chongqing Evening News that his ordeal began when he was about 20 years old.

His arms and legs were swollen with excess fluid and wrinkles started to appear on his face.

He initially attributed these symptoms to fatigue and stress, but his face continued to age rapidly.

Doctors were also unable to diagnose his illness and various treatments did not help to alleviate his condition.

Local media reported that Mr Yuan is currently receiving treatment at a traditional chinese medicine hospital in Chongqing, where doctors suspect he has an endocrine disorder.

However, he will need to undergo more tests to confirm the diagnosis.

His younger brother also suffers from the same affliction although no one else in the family has the condition.

minlee@sph.com.sg