Talal, a 14-year-old boy came to American Hospital Dubai (AHD) with his parents last March after being treated in Kuwait for over 12 months by an adult pulmonologist who diagnosed him with sarcoidosis and prescribed him a chronic steroid treatment.
He suffered from ongoing problems of cough and shortness of breath on minimal exertion, attributed to his asthma; however, he failed to improve despite appropriate asthma treatment.
The patient's parents decided to bring their child to American Hospital Dubai after searching in Kuwait and not being able to find the appropriate diagnosis in Kuwait.
"Talal suffered from a rare immune disease that led to breathing problems, bone pain, and the inability to walk," says his parents. "He was in a wheelchair. We were unhappy that he was unable to live normally. However, doctors at American Hospital worked as a team to diagnose his condition and develop a comprehensive treatment plan.
"We were offered to travel to London, UAE, and Saudi Arabia, but we chose American Hospital Dubai because of its excellent reputation and the excellence of its doctors in treating complex cases. We are happy to choose AHD, who helped us to bring back our child in good health; he can walk well and lead his life typically. We want to thank God, and the staff at the AHDubai, especially Doctors Haroon, Omendra, and Hanaa, who supervised Talal's condition with all humanity and love."
His medical investigation in Kuwait showed a significant narrowing of his left main bronchus. He was diagnosed with sarcoidosis, an autoimmune condition, possible ANCA-associated vasculitis, and chronic uveitis and was on a chronic steroid treatment for almost 12 months.
His condition did not improve. Instead, he developed acute side effects of steroids and became frail and obese; his bones became thin, he had vertebral fractures, and he could not walk. He used a wheelchair for mobility when he arrived at AHD.
At AHD, Dr Omendra Narayan, Director of the Sleep Lab and Pediatric Pulmonologist led his care and the hospital's other specialist paediatrics doctors further investigated his condition.
Dr Narayan says, "The young boy underwent a comprehensive lung function test, sleep study, bronchoscopy to study why his breathing tubes are narrow, and biopsy, all pointing to Wegener's granulomatosis, a rare multisystem autoimmune disease in which blood vessels become inflamed. Dr Haroon Khan, Consultant Rheumatologist and Dr Hanna Zaidan, Consultant pediatric endocrinologist chose the appropriate biologic treatment for his faster recovery from the disease and to strengthen his bones.
He had received comprehensive input from a pediatric pulmonologist, Rheumatologist, pediatric endocrinologist, pediatric orthopedician, pediatric ENT and pediatric nephrologist at AHD.
Dr Narayan adds that Talal has improved significantly within six months with the proper treatment. "He lost his weight and improved bone density and overall strength. He is now living an everyday life, being able to walk, swim, run, eat well and do all his routine activities. We are glad the child is now living a normal life happily."
