A Chinese pensioner has lived with a giant growth of fat around his neck and shoulders for more than two decades.

Doctors believe the man's love of alcohol is the cause of the rare condition, which has seen his neck swelling to twice its normal size.

The 68-year-old man, surnamed Tan, told the Chinese media that he drank at least one litre of strong Chinese rice wine every day between the ages of 40 and 66 and he drank it 'like water'.

Tan went to the Hunan Provincial People's Hospital in Changsha in February after suffering breathing difficulties thought to be caused by the huge lump, reports the feedytv.com.

He was diagnosed with Madelung's Disease, a rare disease characterised by a benign growth of fatty deposits, known as lipoma, around a patient's neck and upper body.

Tan, from Xiangxiang, central China's Hunan Province, said he first noticed small fatty lumps developing on his upper body in 1997, and by 2011 his neck had swelled to its current state.

By the end of 2017, the lipoma began restricting his airway and also caused him pain, Tan said.

According to China News, he started drinking a litre of Baijiu a day when he was 40 years old and carried on the habit for 26 years. He said he quit alcohol in 2016.

Baijiu, also known as white liquor, is a type of super strong Chinese alcohol and contains 52 per cent alcohol by volume on average.

Dr Xiao is planning surgical recession for Tan, according to reports.

Tan has been given a ventilator to increase the blood oxygen concentration as pre-surgery treatment.