An Emirati man has described how he spent the past year recovering from a rare autoimmune condition that left him on the verge of death.
Mohammed Al Hossani, 39, a father of three, was struck down with Guillain-Barré syndrome, which affects between 1 and 2 people per 100,000.
The oil company worker had returned to Abu Dhabi from a trip to the Gulf and thought he had flu.
He became very weak in the space of a day but managed to drive himself to hospital in time for treatment.
"If I had stayed home a little longer, I would have died or in the best-case scenario, gotten brain damage”, he said yesterday.
"The doctors are surprised that I drove to the hospital that day."
Al Hossani has spent more than a year under going medical care after acquiring the disease in May 2016.
His lungs stopped functioning soon after he arrived at the New Medical Centre.
Within a few hours he was completely paralysed.
The condition leads to rapid acute inflammation and demyelination of the nerves. It attacks the individual's entire nervous system causing severe damage.
“He just had flu symptoms and we all thought that was it,” said his father Abdulrahim Al Hossani, 65.
“We have never heard of GBS or knew it existed."
No medical professional at the hospital had come across a case in the UAE, he said.
“The doctor explained everything to us but he was our only source of information. Our son was lying paralysed in the ICU and attached to a ventilator.”
GBS has no definitive cause and it could affect anyone, regardless of age or gender.
Al Hossani survived but has faced a long-painful recovery.
He remains in long-term rehabilitation at Provita Intermational Medical Centre, where he undergoes intensive rehabilitation and therapy to regain muscle control.
“Mohammed is a lot better. He can now move his head, his arms and can speak after being unable to move any part of his body,” his father said, adding that he is frustrated at the lack of awareness of the condition, as rare as it is.
“There is no database in the UAE on GBS. No one has heard about it and when I say GBS everyone thinks it the Google application, as in GPS.
"We didn’t find a support group or any person who would direct or advise us. Provita have provided us with all the support we need, but we would like to know if there are any new developments out there to treat GBS. We need a database and a focal point to refer to and ask about updates regarding GBS and other rare disorders.”
“My son needs intensive treatment and going abroad for treatment would be more expensive, but we don’t want to travel for the sake of traveling. It’s been more than a year and we are grateful for his improvement but if there was an option to speed up his recovery then we would like to be informed of it."
His son added that medics and the public need to be more aware of the disease.
“What if a person was abroad and got this disease," he said.
"I am sure there are others who have contracted it and did not make it to the hospital in time."
MATCH INFO
What: India v Afghanistan, first Test
When: Starts Thursday
Where: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengalaru
Scoreline
Bournemouth 2
Wilson 70', Ibe 74'
Arsenal 1
Bellerin 52'
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EHigh%20fever%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EIntense%20pain%20behind%20your%20eyes%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ESevere%20headache%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ENausea%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EVomiting%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ESwollen%20glands%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ERash%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIf%20symptoms%20occur%2C%20they%20usually%20last%20for%20two-seven%20days%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Hydrogen: Market potential
Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.
"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.
Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.
The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Alaan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Parthi%20Duraisamy%20and%20Karun%20Kurien%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%247%20million%20raised%20in%20total%20%E2%80%94%20%242.5%20million%20in%20a%20seed%20round%20and%20%244.5%20million%20in%20a%20pre-series%20A%20round%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
