THE ELUSIVE THREAT

Myositis, the autoimmune disease that actor Samantha is battling, is also found in children-and is harder to diagnose

- ANUJA SUSAN VARGHESE

Fans were shocked when actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu October been diagnosed with a myositis-an autoimmune condition that causes inflammation of the muscles. "Some days, getting up from bed is difficult," she said.

"It is draining and tiring. I've always been a fighter and I will fight." As 'get well soon' wishes poured in from around the world, people also started looking up the relatively unknown disease. The internet was awash with articles on the 'ifs' and 'buts' of the affliction and how F revealed in that she had one can deal with it.

What most people still don't know, however, is that myositis is not exclusive to adults. When it occurs in children, the condition is called juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM). And though it is usually cured by timely diagnosis and treatment, the former is absent in many cases.

In 2015, Gayatri Ravi, 12, went to Kochi's Amrita Hospital. Extensive calcium deposits had affected her knee joints and she was unable to stand upright. She had been diagnosed with JDM when she was four, but her family did not seek proper treatment. After seven years of subpar treatment and then a stint with ayurveda, Gayatri's condition got worse. Only then did she go to Amrita.