Samantha Ruth Prabhu has revealed that she has been diagnosed with myositis, an auto-immune condition. Taking to her official Instagram account, Samantha revealed that the condition had been detected some months back. While the actor has stated that she will soon make a full recovery, her fans are understandably worried about her health. Samantha wrote in her post, “I have had good days and bad days…. physically and emotionally…. and even when it feels like I can’t handle one more day of this, somehow that moment passes. I guess it can only mean that I am one more day closer to recovery.”
View Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s post here:
While many of Samantha’s fans and colleagues have wished her a speedy recovery, let’s take a look at what myositis is, its symptoms and treatment.
What is myositis?
It is a group of rare conditions that are characterised by chronic, progressive inflammation of the muscles. It is caused when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. There are five types of myositis:
Dermatomyositis: It is more common in women. Dermatomyositis affects several muscles and can also cause purple-red rashes.
Inclusion body myositis (IBM): It can lead to weakening of muscles in the forearms, thighs and other parts of the body. It also causes problems with swallowing. IBM is more common in men.
Polymyositis: It leads to weakness in the shoulders, hips and thigh muscles. It tends to affect people aged 30 to 60, especially women.
Toxic myositis: It is believed to be caused by some prescribed medications and illicit drugs. The health of the affected person can improve, once the medication that caused toxic myositis is stopped.
Juvenile myositis: It affects children, with girls twice as likely to develop symptoms as boys. Like other forms of myositis, it is characterised by muscle weakness and rashes.
Some experts believe that myositis can be caused by autoimmune diseases like lupus, scleroderma, and rheumatoid arthritis. Injuries and viral infections can also lead to the condition. However, no exact cause of the disease has been discovered till date.
Symptoms:
Some common symptoms include fatigue, rashes, loss of balance, thickening of the skin on the hands, weak, painful or aching muscles, trouble in swallowing and weight loss.
Treatment:
There is no specific medication to treat myositis. According to the UK’s National Health Service, steroids and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs are often prescribed to myositis patients. In some cases, immunoglobulin therapy is also needed to manage the symptoms. This therapy involves injecting healthy antibodies (immunoglobulins) from donated blood.
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