Paul Hogan opens up about his health

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Known for his comic performance in the 1986 film Crocodile Dundee, Paul Hogan has been a star in Hollywood for decades. Yet, at 83, older age has caught up with him; most recently, Hogan revealed he’s been diagnosed with retroperitoneal fibrosis. Speaking about the inflammatory disorder on Australia’s A Current Affair, Hogan said: “I’ve lost all my body fat.”

The Golden Globe Award-winning actor stated that all his muscles have “shrank” and the condition has left him feeling “feeble”.

“I get Chance [his 24-year-old son] to open jars for me,” Hogan revealed in the interview.

“Quite a few of my friends on diets hate me… because I try and eat everything fatty and lardy you can think of.

“Everything they’re not allowed to have. I can’t put on an ounce.”

What is retroperitoneal fibrosis?

The National organisation for Rare Diseases (NORD) pointed out that the condition is “rare”.

Retroperitoneal fibrosis is when there is “abnormal formation of fibre-like tissue” that “occurs behind the membrane that lines the cavity of the abdomen”.

Most commonly the condition presents itself by creating pain in the lower back or abdomen.

The painful sensation has been described as “dull, vague, and difficult to localise”.

In addition, the abnormal tissue growth can spread to the tubes that carry urine out from the kidney to the bladder.

As such, other symptoms might include:

• Weight loss
• Fever
• Nausea
• Anaemia
• Loss of appetite.

“Impaired movement of a limb may occur intermittently,” NORD added.

“And abnormal yellow discolouration (pigmentation) of the skin and the whites of the eyes (jaundice) may be present.”

Other symptoms can include swelling of one leg, bleeding in the stomach and intestines, and difficulty urinating.

While the symptoms sound unpleasant Hogan said that “the treatment was worse than the disease”.

“It sort of shrivelled me,” Hogan noted. “[The corticosteroids used to shrink the benign growth] shrink your muscles.”

He added: “[They’re] supposed to make you fat, but I got thinner, and thinner, and thinner.

“I’m now in the business of trying to put a bit of fat on… because you feel the cold too much when you’ve got no body fat.”

Having been fitted with a pacemaker, Hogan quipped that he is “being held together by string”.

While Hogan has “maintained” his fitness levels up till the age of 79, sometimes older age is the only risk factor needed for disease.

Regardless of his new diagnosis, Hogan admitted that he’s been lucky to have been healthy for so long.

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