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This story is from September 24, 2017

Teen's sore eyes refuse to heal, docs find it's drug-resistant TB

The 'stubborn sore eyes' of a Nerul teenager have turned out to be multi-drug resistant tuberculosis.
Teen's sore eyes refuse to heal, docs find it's drug-resistant TB
Representative Image.
MUMBAI: When Nerul teenager Rani's (name changed) `sore eyes' didn't heal for over 15 days, little did her parents imagine that multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) could be the cause. Rani didn't have any of the symptoms associated with TB--coughing, breathlessness or loss of weight--except for some dark red lesions in both her eyes, said her parents.
“We thought it was a stubborn case of sore eyes,“ her father told TOI.
But when eye surgeon Dr P Suresh examined Rani's eyes in Fortis Hospital, Mulund, he felt that wasn't the case. “It didn't seem like a sore eyes symptom. I thought it could be an associated condition to, say , pneumo nia as there have been cases reported in medical literature of pneumonia affecting the eye,“ he said. Rani underwent an X-Ray scan that showed a lesion in her chest.
The 15-year-old girl, who is in Class XI, was referred to infectious diseases specialist Dr Anita Mathew. “We put her through blood tests and a CT scan that confirmed she had MDR TB. A rapid test cal led GeneXpert confirmed that she had MDR TB,“ said Dr Mathew, adding that this was a rare case in which an eye symptom led to a diagnosis of TB.
TB has re-emerged as one of the biggest public health challenges in India, claiming 3 lakh lives every year or one life every two minutes. Mumbai is referred to as the epicentre of the deadly drug-re sistant TB in which patients show resistance to two or more known anti-TB drugs; treatment involves newer antibiotics that are expensive.
“We couldn't afford the two-year-long treatment that runs into Rs 2 lakh or more, so Dr Mathew referred us to a government centre for free medicines,“ said Rani's mother.“She has to take daily injections for six months as a part of the treatment, but they are painful,“ she added.
An eye specialist with a government hospital said the eye symptom could be an “immunological response to TB“. Dr Suresh added that the “dramatic presentation“ could be because MDR TB is more virulent.
Chest specialist Dr Yatin Dholakia, however, said that eye involvement in TB isn't uncommon. “Even eye TB is common these days. Involvement of the eye in chest TB is seen and can be resolved easily with steroidal treatment,“ he added.
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