What Is Dermatomyositis, The Rare Disease 'Dangal' Actor Died Of

Dangal star Suhani Bhatnagar, who essayed the role of young Babita Phogat, died at the age of 19 in Delhi on Friday. The actor was battling a rare disease called Dermatomyositis.

On February 7, the 19-year-old was admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences. However, after facing medical complications, she died on February 16.

Suhani Bhatnagar's family shared that while her symptoms appeared two months ago, she was diagnosed with the disease only ten days back.

Let us take a look at what is Dermatomyositis:

As per the official page of Johns Hopkins Medicine, dermatomyositis is a rare disease that causes inflammation and skin rash.

In basic terms, it is only a group of muscles that results in muscle inflammation and swelling.

This rare disease is different from other muscle diseases, as dermatomyositis only causes skin-related issues.

The report by the private research university states that while this disease can occur at any age, it most often affects adults ages 50 to 70.

In addition, it informed that women are twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with dermatomyositis.

It is possible that people who are suffering from this rare disease also have a connective tissue disorder, such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.

It must be noted that dermatomyositis is so rare that Suhani Bhatnagar's father Sumit Bhatnagar claimed that there are only five to six people across the globe who have been diagnosed with it.

Talking about her daughter's symptoms, her mother Puja Bhatnagar said, “She developed a red spot on her hands about two months ago. We consulted with doctors in different hospitals but it couldn't be diagnosed.”

To this,Mr Bhatnagar added that there was no improvement in her health and eventually her "lungs got damaged due to an infection and accumulation of excess fluid". He continued, “She was put on the ventilator but there was no improvement.”

The Johns Hopkins Medicine report stated that the symptoms of dermatomyositis are caused by swelling and inflammation in the blood vessels.

Its symptoms include red or purple rashes on sun-exposed areas that could be painful or itchy, swelling of the upper eyelids, similar colour spots on knuckles, elbows, knees and toes, scaly, rough skin, which can lead to hair thinning, hard lumps under the skin caused by calcium deposits and stiff joints among others.

The report suggests that it can be caused by abnormal genes a person is born with, cancer, autoimmune diseases, or an infection, among others.