Tragic boy whose body aged eight times faster than normal dies at just 15: Brave teenager who became world famous for highlighting the condition dies from side-effects of ageing 

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A brave teenager who became the public face of the campaign for more research into a rare ageing disease he suffered from has died.

Nihal Shrinivas Bitla, who was diagnosed with progeria as a child, has succumbed to the disease at the age of just 15 at a hospital in Karimnagar in Telangana this week.

During his short life, he campaigned tirelessly for more funding into researching the condition and was the face of the Progeria Research Foundation's campaign.

Brave: Nihal Shrinivas Bitla has died at the age of just 15 after suffering from a rare condition that caused him to age eight times faster than normal

The teenager's parents said that they had tried to give Nihal as normal a life as possible and had travelled with him from their home to attend a wedding when he was taken ill after suffering from dehydration

Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, often shortened to progeria, causes the body to age eight times faster than normal. The typical cause of death is either a heart attack or stroke. 

The teenager's parents had tried to give him as normal a life as possible and had travelled with him from their home in Bhiwandi to attend a wedding when he was taken ill from dehydration.

He was admitted to a local hospital, where doctors believe that hardened arteries, which are a typical problem in old people, were a possible reason for his sudden death.

One of his doctors, Dr Parag Tamhankar from the National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health, said that when he was 10 he already had the body of a 60-year-old. 

Despite his efforts to raise awareness Nihal had to deal with stigma of the disease and stopped going to school

A campaign called #finding 60 in India is working towards finding undetected cases in India. So far only four, including Nihal, have been diagnosed

Nihal Bitla and his friend playing pilots. One of his doctors, Parag Tamhankar from the National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health, said that when he was 10 he already had the body of a 60 year old

In 2014, Nihal along with three-year-old Ishan, another child with progeria from Satara, went to Boston, Massachusetts in the United States to undergo a clinical trial of a cancer drug meant to slow accelerated ageing.

A campaign called #finding 60 in India is working towards finding undetected cases in India. 

The campaign is spearheaded by Team Nihal, under the aegis of the Progeria Research Foundation that estimates that at least 60 children in India suffer from progeria. 

So far only four, including Nihal, have been diagnosed. It was Nihal's efforts that were instrumental in finding two more cases: five-year-olds Aditya from Rajasthan and Prachi from Patna.

Nihal liked painting and had the opportunity to personally gift one of his works to actor Aamir Khan (above)

Nihal Bitla with actor Aamir Khan. Only 56 children were diagnosed with progeria around the world in 2009

In 2009, only 56 children were diagnosed with progeria around the world, according to the foundation. With their efforts, now 125 children have been found.

Despite his efforts to raise awareness, Nihal had to deal with stigma from the disease and stopped going to school. 

He liked painting and had the opportunity to personally gift one of his works to actor Aamir Khan. 

The Bollywood actor met Nihal after he found out the boy wanted to meet him.

Dr Tamhankar had earlier said that children with progeria generally appear normal at birth. 

'During the first year, signs and symptoms, such as slow growth and hair loss, begin to appear.

There is no complete cure for this disease but with the new drug treatment, the life expectancy of these children can be extended and quality of life may improve,' he told the Hindustan Times.