Juvenile Dermatomyositis: Here's What 19-Year-Old Dangal Actress Suhani Bhatnagar Died Of

The death of Suhani Bhatnagar, who played young Babita Phogat in the blockbuster Dangal, has left her friends, family and industry colleagues in shock. All of 19, the young and bubbly Bhatnagar succumbed to a rare auto-immune disease called dermatomyositis on February 16.

The teenager was admitted to the All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi on February 7 following health complications. On Saturday, her father while speaking with journalists, revealed that her health had started deteriorating two months ago after she experienced unusual swelling on her hands.

Still/Dangal

Initial diagnosis, he said, revealed that she was suffering from rare auto-immune disease called dermatomyositis which could be treated only through steroids. The steroids, according to the family, weakened her immunity, which led to another infection, at the hospital.

Suhani's mother adds, ¡°Har parent proud feel karta hai ki woh apne bache ke naam se jana jata hai. Hamari kya identity thi? Hume jo recognition mila hai woh to Suhani ki wajah se hi mila hai, ki ye 'Dangal girl ke parents hain', jahan bhi jana ho uski recognition hoti thi... har ek ko apna bacha bahut acha lagta hai par hamara bacha hume bahut proud feel kara ke gaya hai". ("Every parent feels proud when their child makes a name for themselves. Everywhere we went, we were referred to as ¡®Dangal¡¯ girl¡¯s parents. We got recognition because of her. She made us very proud.")

#WATCH | Faridabad, Haryana: On 'Dangal' child star Suhani Bhatnagar's death, her parents say, "...Our recognition was because of Suhani... Aamir Khan was always supportive of her but we had shared nothing about her disease with anyone including him (Aamir Khan)... She was a¡­ pic.twitter.com/PQowP7UFv4

¡ª ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2024

What is Dermatomyositis?

Dermatomyositis is an uncommon inflammatory disease marked by muscle weakness and a distinctive skin rash.

Wikipedia

"Juvenile dermatomyositis is an autoimmune disease where body's immune system attacks its own skin, muscle and blood vessels. It's seen more commonly in girls than boys aged 2-15 years but may present in later years too", says Dr Minal Singh, Consultant at Jaypee Hospital, Noida.

Causes & Symptoms

"The exact cause is not known but could be any environmental trigger in a genetically predisposed child or adolescent. The symptoms could be gradual muscle weakness, difficulty in doing daily activities, bumps over knuckles, weakness in voice, rashes over skin (which may be mistaken for eczema initially)," she adds.

Infusion Associates

Doctor Pushkar Anand, Consultant General and Laparoscopic Surgeon at Shri Ram Hospital, Noida, says, "Dermatomyositis is a rare disease and it is even more rare, shocking and saddening for someone as young as her to succumb to such a disease so early." He also mentions that in most cases dermatomyositis is not life threatening in such a short span.

Treatment

"There is no cure for dermatomyositis and the patient has to be dependent on life long medication", says Dr Singh. "Blood tests, MRI and skin biopsy helps in coming to a conclusive diagnosis."

Chopra

"Main treatment remains corticosteroid and immunosuppressants. Inflammation of skin and muscle and steroid puts patient at risk of contracting opportunistic infection which are sometimes resistant to even higher antibiotics, leading to septic shock followed by cascade of events resulting in multi organ failure and death. It is a rare disease and any warning sign or persistent rash definitely calls for consultation", she adds.

At the time of writing this article, there has been no official statement from AIIMS, Delhi.