Two-year-old toddler struggling with rare aging disease
Kathmandu, December 18
A rare aging disease was found in a two-year-old British girl. Isla Kilpatrick-Screaton, from Leicester, England, is suffering from “Benjamin Button disease” mandibuloacral dysplasia, which causes her cells to age far too quickly.
As per Yahoo Lifestyle, Isla was presumed to be the only affected individual by the disease in the world.
So far, only 40 cases of the genetic condition have ever been reported, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders.
As per the news, DNA tests revealed Isla carries a specific mutation that has never before been seen in any other sufferer.
There have been speculations that future of Isla is uncertain as she has been battling with a heart disorder and breathing difficulties.
Isla’s mother, Stacey Kilpatrick-Screaton, 33, enjoyed a normal pregnancy until she went into early labor at 36 weeks on Feb. 2, 2017, Yahoo Lifestyle reported. However, the delivery was dramatic, with the baby nearly suffocating.
“Once she was born and [they] cut off the umbilical cord, she couldn’t keep her oxygen level above 60 percent, when it needed to be 90 percent,” said Kilpatrick-Screaton as quoted by Yahoo Lifestyle. “The nurses were trying to keep her airways open for what felt like hours. We expected to be able to see her but she was taken to neonatal intensive care.
Isla was put in an induced coma for the first five days of her life, with her parents unable to hold her. Finally, Isla was eventually diagnosed with mandibuloacral dysplasia in October 2017.
The 2-year-old, who is fed through a tube, weighs just 15 lbs. and has only recently started crawling. Barely able to speak, she largely communicates using sign language.
