AN OBESE Egyptian is now believed to be the fattest woman in the world after reaching almost 79 STONE.

Iman Ahmad Abdulati has not left the house for 25 years and has slowly ballooned to a weight of 78.7 stone.

4 Iman Ahmad Abdulati has slowly ballooned to 79 stone after a stroke at 11 Credit: CEN

Although her family have appealed to local hospitals in Alexandria for help, the 36-year-old has continued to get fatter.

Now her sister Chaymaa’ Ahmad Abdulati, has gone public in a bid to find a solution. Iman, whose father died when the girls were young, is cared for by her sister and mother who feed her, wash her and provide her with help in going to the toilet, as she could no longer walk there.

4 Iman was overweight as a child and never went to school Credit: CEN

Iman weighed 11 lbs at birth and she put on too much weight as an infant, struggling to walk as a young girl because of her weight.

Chaymaa said Iman initially moved around using her hands and when she turned 11 she started to crawl on her knees, but was unable to walk out of her home, so she was unable to attend school,

She revealed her sister’s weight problem increased at the age of 11 after she suffered what they believe was a stroke that left her bedridden.

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Doctors believe her condition is caused by fluid retention, meaning that large amounts of extra water are being retained in her body.

At nearly 79 stone, Iman smashes the current record recognised by the Guinness Book of Records, which the heaviest woman alive is Pauline Potter from Sacramento, who weighs in at 45 st 11lbs.

The fattest woman ever was American Rosalie Bradford, who weighed 85 stone, but she died of heart failure in 2006.

The world's fattest man, Andres Marino, was 70 stone but died on Christmas day last year.

British mum-of-two Louise Hanner recently told how she shed 12 stone after a cruel note branded her a "fat lazy cow."

4 Iman struggled to walk as a toddler because of excess weight Credit: CEN