'Need awareness to treat kids who lack immunity'

CHENNAI: Hundreds of children born without an immune system in India die every year before their disease is diagnosed or because their families can't afford the treatment that can reboot their bodies' defence mechanism, doctors said here on Tuesday.

Apollo Hospitals haematologist Revathi Raj pressed for awareness amongst doctors for early diagnosis of the condition and subsidised treatment from the government for children to undergo bone marrow transplant and immunoglobulin therapy costing several lakhs of rupees.

Primary immunodeficiency disorders - also called primary immune disorders - weaken the body's immune system, allowing infections and other health problems to occur more easily. Doctors say at least four out of 1,00,000 children are born without immune defences. Only 2% of the nearly one lakh children born with PID every year get the right treatment.

"It's important to increase awareness and offer help because in most cases treatment can boost the immune system and children can lead relatively normal productive lives," said Dr Raj, pointing to one of her patients, three-year-old Guhan, who had undergone a bone marrow transplant to overcome the disorder.

Guhan was diagnosed with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Syndrome when he was three months old. He had to be kept in an ultra-sterile environment till doctors performed the bone marrow transplant - a procedure that infuses healthy blood stem cells into the body to replace the damaged or diseased bone marrow. "He is normal and healthy now," she said as Guhan smiled from his mother's lap.

The Indian Society for Immunodeficiency Diseases is in the process of developing a registry on these diseases to generate data and create awareness among the medical fraternity. But insurance companies and the government should help needy patients in getting early diagnosis and treatment, said Apollo Hospitals medical director Dr Sathyabhama.

These diseases may lead to infections such as recurrent pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus infections, ear infections, meningitis or skin infections, inflammation and infection of internal organs, blood disorders, loss of appetite, nausea and diarrhoea or delayed growth. "The immune system's inability to protect the child from invaders like bacteria, viruses, fungi and tuberculosis causing germs may leave the baby sick. If doctors are not aware of this deficiency, it may not be detected," she said.

Genetic predisposition caused due to consanguineous marriages puts many children born in South India at risk. Secondary immunodeficiency can cause cancer, HIV, liver cirrhosis and other serious conditions. In such cases, the diagnosis is easier and the patient can get the right treatment at the right time, she said.


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