An Indian resident has survived a rare life-threatening disorder that affects three to four people per million.
LalTelu Ram Harkesh, 52, recovered from thrombotic thrombocytopenia purpura, or TTP, after spending more than two weeks in an intensive care unit at Lifecare Hospital in Abu Dhabi.
TTP is a life-threatening disorder in which clots form in the small blood vessels throughout the body.
These clots can limit or block blood flow to the major organs and damage parts such as the brain, kidneys and heart, preventing them from functioning properly.
Initially, Mr Harkesh, a foreman, felt abdominal pains that he ignored. He only sought medical help after developing a low-grade fever.
All thanks to the Almighty and doctors. This is my second life
LalTelu Ram Harkesh
Laboratory tests carried out at Lifecare Hospital later showed that he had TTP.
“During the initial evaluation, he seemed to be suffering from acute pancreatitis. But he had low red blood cell and platelet counts that did not correlate with the preliminary diagnosis,” said Dr Ashraf Abdelrahman, department head of critical services at the hospital.
Because of the low number of cases, TTP is difficult to diagnose and requires close monitoring as patients can develop seizures and multiple organ failure, among other complications.
The hospital immediately moved Mr Harkesh to the ICU and started therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) — a process using plasma obtained from healthy individuals.
“Mr Harkesh received a total of 10 sessions of TPE daily with almost 30 litres of plasma exchanged. He was also treated with steroids and monoclonal antibodies medications,” said Dr A Pillai, a specialist nephrologist.
A 12-member medical team assisted with the procedure.
Mr Harkesh was sedated and placed on a mechanical ventilator to stabilise his condition.
It took about 18 days for the foreman from India’s Himachal Pradesh, to recover.
He had been in pain for about 20 days, before the procedure.
"I thought it was typical gas trouble," Mr Harkesh said. "But later, I found that I had a rare disease and I became scared.
"The doctors and other hospital staff supported me mentally and physically. All thanks to the Almighty and the doctors. This is my second life.”
Mr Harkesh was discharged last month on May 25. He is at home in India at present.
Dr Mudhasir Ahmed, a specialist oncologist said, as he has completely recovered from the initial attack, Mr Harkesh should have a normal quality of life in the future.
“Since relapse can occur at any time, he should do regular follow-up with the doctor and continue the treatment as recommended,” Dr Ahmed said.
"Most patients will have a complete recovery, but the literature says the relapse can occur in 30 per cent of patients,”
Early detection and treatment of these flare-ups are crucial in preventing irreversible damage to vital organs and death.
Dr Baiju Faizal, an internal medicine specialist, was also part of the team that attended to Mr Harkesh.
“What we know about TTP is that it is a true medical emergency, and without treatment, 95 per cent of patients succumb to death," said Dr Faizal.
"However, 80-90 per cent can achieve remission with treatment.”
TTP may relapse and cannot be prevented.
Doctors say when a patient has the disease diagnosed, it is advisable to follow a healthy lifestyle.
UAE - India ties
The UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner after the US and China
Annual bilateral trade between India and the UAE has crossed US$ 60 billion
The UAE is the fourth-largest exporter of crude oil for India
Indians comprise the largest community with 3.3 million residents in the UAE
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi first visited the UAE in August 2015
His visit on August 23-24 will be the third in four years
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, visited India in February 2016
Sheikh Mohamed was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2017
Modi will visit Bahrain on August 24-25
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Ant-Man%20and%20the%20Wasp%3A%20Quantumania
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SANCTIONED
- Kirill Shamalov, Russia's youngest billionaire and previously married to Putin's daughter Katarina
- Petr Fradkov, head of recently sanctioned Promsvyazbank and son of former head of Russian Foreign Intelligence, the FSB.
- Denis Bortnikov, Deputy President of Russia's largest bank VTB. He is the son of Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB which was responsible for the poisoning of political activist Alexey Navalny in August 2020 with banned chemical agent novichok.
- Yury Slyusar, director of United Aircraft Corporation, a major aircraft manufacturer for the Russian military.
- Elena Aleksandrovna Georgieva, chair of the board of Novikombank, a state-owned defence conglomerate.
Punchy appearance
Roars of support buoyed Mr Johnson in an extremely confident and combative appearance
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if you go
The flights
Air France offer flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to Cayenne, connecting in Paris from Dh7,300.
The tour
Cox & Kings (coxandkings.com) has a 14-night Hidden Guianas tour of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. It includes accommodation, domestic flights, transfers, a local tour manager and guided sightseeing. Contact for price.
The five pillars of Islam
Ahmed Raza
UAE cricket captain
Age: 31
Born: Sharjah
Role: Left-arm spinner
One-day internationals: 31 matches, 35 wickets, average 31.4, economy rate 3.95
T20 internationals: 41 matches, 29 wickets, average 30.3, economy rate 6.28
Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
Scream%20VI
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Matt%20Bettinelli-Olpin%20and%20Tyler%20Gillett%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Melissa%20Barrera%2C%20Jasmin%20Savoy%20Brown%2C%20Jack%20Champion%2C%20Dermot%20Mulroney%2C%20Jenna%20Ortega%2C%20Hayden%20Panettiere%20and%20Courteney%20Cox%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Real Sociedad v Leganes (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Real Valladolid (4pm)
Valencia v Granada (7pm)
Eibar v Real Madrid (9.30pm)
Barcelona v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Sunday
Real Mallorca v Villarreal (3pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Levante (5pm)
Atletico Madrid v Espanyol (7pm)
Getafe v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Real Betis v Sevilla (midnight)
'Ghostbusters: From Beyond'
Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace
Rating: 2/5
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
