10-year-old Yavatmal girl battles rare disorder

Child diagnosed with skin condition found in 5 people out of million

Ten-year-old Anjali Kamble a resident of Pussat village of Yavatmal, has been diagnosed with juvenile dermatomyositis, a disease found in five people in a million.

She is undergoing treatment at JJ Hospital. The sad part is that there exists no cure for this disease, which means Anjali is immobilised for life.

Symptoms of dermatomyositis include a distinctive skin rash, muscle weakness and inflamed muscles. For the past two months Anjali has been in the state–run J.J. Hospital, but doctors say the situation might reoccur because it was diagnosed late.

Anjali had a high temperature when her parents rushed her to the doctors of their village. The doctors, however, could not treat her, claimed her mother, Ujwala. The girl was then referred to J.J Hospital by the district hospital in Yavatmal.

“This disease has snatched my child’s present and future. My daughter often cries of pain as she cannot sit or stand on her own. She has deep wounds and sometimes blood oozes from them. We have spent more than `50,000 on her till now but to no avail,” said Ujwala.

While speaking to The Asian Age, paediatrician Dr Bela Verma of J.J. Hospital, said, “The exact cause of dermatomyositis isn’t known. She has a distinctive skin rash on the face, chest, nails, or elbows and is suffering from muscle weakness. We have been treating for the past two months. She has been responding to the treatment,” said Dr Verma.