BENGALURU: A 5-month-old baby being afflicted by recurrent severe infection was found to be suffering from a rare congenital immune disorder, leukocyte adhesion deficiency (LAD).
Though the baby’s elder brother who had similar infection passed away during infancy, the infant has survived with the treatment at a Bengaluru-based hospital. LAD, which needs early detection and intervention, often goes undetected.
Bone marrow transplant (BMT) from a healthy donor is the only way to treat this condition. In this case, the mother of the baby was found to have human leukocyte antigen (HLA) compatible with the baby.
Dr Anoop P, senior consultant, haematology, paediatric haemato-oncology and BMT, Aster CMI Hospital, said, “Most treatment centres even in affluent countries may prefer to perform BMT after a baby weighs at least 10 kgs and is completely free from active infection. This was not an option here as she, weighing less than 5 kg, would have succumbed to the disease. Despite complications, the procedure was successful and the baby is recovering well now.”