UAE: Abu Dhabi hospital successfully treats newborn with rare disease

Doctors at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City have treated a rare and complex case of congenital hyperinsulinemic hypoglycaemia in a four-month-old baby girl from Yemen.

The baby from Socotra Islands was transferred to SSMC from another healthcare facility.

Dr Gamal Ahmed, division chair of the paediatric intensive care unit at SSMC, said that a multidisciplinary team discussed the management and care of the patient to ensure best outcome.

“The young patient came to us, and after a few days, developed convulsions that were associated with refractory hypoglycaemia, which her laboratory workup confirmed. After we managed to control the convulsions with unremarkable brain sequelae or complications by MRI and EEG, the baby was diagnosed with congenital hyperinsulinemic hypoglycaemia, a rare endocrine disease.”

Hypoglycaemia is a condition in which blood sugar (glucose) level is lower than normal. Congenital hyperinsulinism is the most severe cause of persistent hypoglycaemia in new-born babies and children. If hypoglycaemia is prolonged, it can be the most common cause of irreversible but preventable brain damage. Hyperinsulinemic babies usually need up to five times more glucose than children with typical glucose requirements do.

SSMC is a joint venture between Mayo Clinic and Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha). The multidisciplinary team at SSMC consulted colleagues at Mayo Clinic and other international experts to determine before going for a medical approach rather than a surgical one.

“After the diagnosis of the patient’s condition was confirmed, we used quite an uncommon treatment, but one that is recommended in such a case of refractory hypoglycaemia. The patient’s blood glucose continued to fluctuate for a few days with the escalation of treatment until a steady state of blood glucose was reached. By the end of the treatment course, we observed no hypoglycaemic episode.” Dr Ahmed said.

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