5 questions about Hasbulla, answered

What disease does Hasbulla have?

Hasbulla suffers from a rare genetic disorder, which is the reason behind his short height despite being a 20-year-old adult male.

Although Hasbulla has not publicly spoken about his disease with the MMA media, it is widely believed that he has Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD), commonly referred to as ‘Dwarfism’. It is caused by inadequate secretion of Human Growth Hormone (HGH), which helps the body to grow and develop as a child gradually becomes an adult. 

GHD is the same disorder that soccer legend Lionel Messi was diagnosed with when he was 11 years old. 

Dr. Karan Raj had taken to TikTok when Hasbulla’s popularity was rising to explain how the disorder is caused by a malfunction of the brain’s pituitary gland (via LADBible). This gland is responsible for producing most of the hormones in the human body, including HGH.

The disease can either be a result of a genetic anomaly or an absence of the pituitary gland. In both cases, GHD is congenital or present from birth. It can also be caused by brain trauma or injury suffered in growing years, resulting in damaging the gland and stunted growth. 

The world of healthcare science has yet to identify any clear cause behind GHD. However, it is known that the disease can be triggered by low levels of other hormones as well, such as vasopressin, thyrotropins, gonadotropins, or adrenocorticotrophic hormones.

GHD is treatable if identified, but the treatment is quite expensive. At the time Messi was suffering from it, the HGH injections cost north of $1,000 a month, which the soccer prodigy’s family could not afford. It is a well-known story that Barcelona FC bore the expenses of his treatment as Messi signed a temporary contract with the club on a napkin and moved to Spain at the age of 13. The rest, as they say, is history.