Beiruting News

A Chinese girl with a rare medical problem has the appearance of a child - despite being 19-years-old.

Zeng Yushan was born in June 1994 in the township of Huzhu in Fushun County in south-western China's Sichuan Province.

At seven years old, she stopped growing and was diagnosed with a tumour on her pituitary gland, which caused a deficiency in growth hormones.

The pituitary gland is found behind the bridge of the nose and below the base of the brain, and is about the size of a pea.

It releases hormones growth and puberty hormones, among others, directly into the blood stream.

Tumours on the pituitary gland - though rare - can stop people growing and developing normally, said Ashley Grossman, professor of endocrinology at Oxford University.

He told MailOnline: 'If you've got a pituitary tumour, it can stop growth hormones being released.

'You end up like a Tom Thumb person that looks small but is perfectly formed.