The recent death of Dangal actress Suhani Bhatnagar makes everyone sad, that the budding actress died at a very young age. The reason behind her death is the rare autoimmune disease Dermatomyositis that takes the life of a young actress.
Suhaani Bhatnagar played the role of Babita Phogat’s young version in Dangal. According to the report, Suhani was admitted to the hospital on 7 February and died on 17 February due to medical complications. Now the disease Dermatomyositis is making the round in media. Everyone was a bit worried and wanted to know the condition.
Before jumping to any conclusion, you should know the condition first what the disease is & how it affects the person who has this condition.
What is Dermatomyositis?
Dermatomyositis is an inflammatory condition that involves your body muscles and a skin rash. A patient who has this condition suffers from this condition has difficulty in swallowing and walking.
It is similar to the condition of Polymyositis in which the trunk of the body gets affected badly, in that condition you have problems when rising from a sitting condition, climbing stairs, or lifting objects, and the disease later progresses.
When the polymyositis condition affects your skin, it is known as dermatomyositis. It can develop quickly and it can be fatal too, if it is developed continuously in a year. If you see any kind of symptoms, you should take the treatment right away.
The sooner you get the treatment, it will help you to take control of your disease.
What Causes Dermatomyositis?
An autoimmune disease dermatomyositis always linked to the person’s genes who are having this condition.
Not many people know that there are other factors too.
- Genetic Factors – Some research studies show that it is related to the genes.
- Autoimmune Condition: It is the autoimmune condition, where your body can attack your own cells
- Viral Infection: It is also caused by viral, infection in your muscles that later develops into dermatomyositis condition.
- Environmental Factors: Studies have found that living in environmental pollutants and bad air can also cause the dermatomyositis
What are the Symptoms of Dermatomyositis?
The most common symptoms of Dermatomyositis are a rash on your skin and muscle weakness. Some people notice muscle weakness and a rash around the same time.
Muscle weakness might make it hard for you to do common motions including :
- Getting up
- Climbing stairs
- Taking bath
- Swallowing
It may cause a rash on your skin, and inflammation:
- Eyelids
- Chest & front of your shoulders (V-sign rash)
- Neck & back of your shoulders
- Scalp
- Joint pain
Who can develop the Dermatomyositis?
Anyone can develop it depending on the factors that include
- Kids with 5 to 15 years old (They can develop it but they can recover from it immediately)
- Adults 40 to 60 years old
- Pregnant women
Complications and Other Condition That Can Arise Due To Dermatomyositis
- Difficulty Swallowing: Your esophagus muscles are affected by dermatomyositis, which causes problems in swallowing
- Calcium Deposits: It starts to deposit in your muscles, and tissues, as the disease progresses which leads to weakness
- Breathing Problem: Your muscles of the chest are affected due to breathing problems
Dermatomyositis can lead to other conditions as well:
Lung Disease: Interstitial lung disease can be caused by tightness in the lung tissue, and it might affect your overall health.
Cancer: Adult patients have the possibility to develop cancer later in their life, maybe three years or more. They have the tendency to develop lung, lymphoma, breast, and colon cancer
How to Diagnose This Disease
The health care provider will do a physical exam:
- Blood test to check the level of enzymes called creatine phosphokinase and aldolase
- Blood test for autoimmune disease
- ECG
- Muscle biopsy
- Skin Biopsy
- Lung Function Test
Caution
Many times people misdiagnose their symptoms with dermatomyositis, they have skin rash problems and muscle weakness occurs due to some nutrition deficiency. If your condition persists you should first check your physician. Dermatomyositis condition is scary because it can affect your overall body. It can be fatal for anyone who develops this condition. Patience and treatment can keep the disease from further progression.