Written By: Prerna Mittra | Updated : April 1, 2025 3:12 PM IST
Medical Breakthrough: 5-Yr-Old Becomes First In The World To Undergo Rare Bone Marrow Transplant (Representational image/Pixabay)
Rare medical case: In a historic medical breakthrough, a five-year-old patient with a rare and complex condition became the first in the world to undergo a haploidentical bone marrow transplant (BMT) procedure in India. The case -- which marks a significant milestone in pediatric hematology and immunology -- was handled by doctors at the SHALBY Sanar International Hospitals recently. The patient, a little boy named Abbas from Wasit, Iraq, was diagnosed with a common variable immunodeficiency (CVID)-like phenotype caused by, what doctors are calling, an IKZF-1 mutation. This disease is rarely reported, especially in children. A haploidentical bone marrow transplant on a five-year-old is pretty rare, too. Read on to know more about the case.
The patient, born out of second-degree consanguinity, was suffering from many health conditions, such as failure to thrive (FTT), severe chronic lung disease (CLD), and leaky gut syndrome (LGS). Despite visiting multiple gastroenterology clinics across India over a period of eight weeks, his family did not get any clear diagnosis. Finally, they brought him to SHALBY Sanar in Gurugram, where his case was handled by Dr Satyendra Katewa, director and head of the department of blood and marrow transplant and cellular therapies.
When a diagnosis was confirmed, a bone marrow transplant appeared to be the only treatment option. Incidentally, Abbas's elder brother had also died with the same problem at the age of seven.
But, it was not an easy journey for the patient's family, emotionally or financially. They faced a significant financial crunch, exacerbated by the fact that the father was wheelchair-bound and unable to afford the treatment. While the local community stepped in to raise funds, the hospital also provided a way to make the treatment affordable.
Problems, however, continued. For one, Abbas did not have a 100 per cent human leukocyte antigens (HLA)-matched donor.
According to a hospital statement, the team of doctors treating the boy decided to proceed with a 50 per cent HLA-matched haploidentical BMT. Before the transplant, his other existing health problems were managed with specialised treatments to stabilise his condition. Bone marrow transplant in CVID is rarely reported in the world, the doctors said.
The transplant was carried out successfully, despite the complexities. Abbas has now been discharged from the hospital.
"This was a very challenging case, but our team worked together to overcome the difficulties," Dr Katewa said, as mentioned in the statement. He appreciated his team for continuing to "push the boundaries of medical care" and provide "compassionate treatment".
