A RARE MEDICAL CASE WHERE THREE YEARS BOY GETS FIRE ON HIS BODY SPONTANEOUSLY WITHOUT FIRE NEAR HIM-FIRE BABY -A RARE HUMAN COMBUSTION SYNDROME: A RARE BUT TRUE ENTITY :WONDER OF MEDICAL SCIENCE.
drnakipuria@gail.com,
Three-month-old Rahul, who is admitted in the Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital (KMCH) in this Tamil Nadu capital with 10 degree burn injuries because of a condition, called spontaneous human combustion (SHC), is stable, doctors said on Saturday.
“The baby is stable and treatment is on for burn injuries and scars. Life-saving support systems are there for Rahul in the intensive care unit,” Dr R Narayana Babu, head of paediatrics at the hospital told IANS on Saturday.
He said the baby will be under observation and may be discharged after two weeks depending on his condition.
Doctors say that in SHC, burns are caused as the body catches fire because of the excretion of gases.
“The mother told us that the baby has suffered four episodes of such spontaneous fire and suffered burn injuries. The last episode was a month back. The baby was admitted to the Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) (in Puducherry),” Dr R Jayachandran, a professor in the department of paediatrics at KMC, told IANS.
According to Dr Babu, the baby has burn injuries in the abdomen and chest. The injuries are on the front of the body.
“We have only the mother’s version. The baby has to be carefully observed. We have to investigate whether the ailment is genetic. We will carry out tests to find out the kind of gases generated by the baby,” Dr Jayachandran said.
Doctors said some of the tests needed were very costly and may have to be done elsewhere.
The doctor said until a proper diagnosis is made, the baby would be given treatment that is only symptomatic, with the administration of antibiotics.
The baby’s parents, Rajeswari and Karna, are agricultural labourers at Villupuram district, around 160 km from the state capital. Rahul has a two-year-old sister.
The disease is seen only in 200 people across the world in the past 300 years.
Rahul was nine days old when he first developed spontaneous burns. The baby emitted some highly combustible gas through the pores of his skin, which made him catch fire.
There are many theories about the poorly understood condition, ranging from high acetone content in the body to the paranormal. Some doctors say everyone has certain amount of alcohol present in their blood and when its content is high, it combines with the gases in the body; resulting in burns. Though there is no special cure for the condition, it can be treated like a regular burn injury.
A plausible hypothesis for SHC is that some bacteria, such as the methanogenic micro-organism-archaebacteria, in the intestine convert the food into methane, which is a combustible substance.
A small spark, which need not be an obvious one, anywhere nearby, can trigger the fire. If the child is covered with a silk cloth which can generate static electricity, the combustible gas and the electricity can cause fire. The boy should not be near inflammable substances. — with Shreya Nakipuria and 2 others. (4 photos)
drnakipuria@gail.com,
Three-month-old Rahul, who is admitted in the Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital (KMCH) in this Tamil Nadu capital with 10 degree burn injuries because of a condition, called spontaneous human combustion (SHC), is stable, doctors said on Saturday.
“The baby is stable and treatment is on for burn injuries and scars. Life-saving support systems are there for Rahul in the intensive care unit,” Dr R Narayana Babu, head of paediatrics at the hospital told IANS on Saturday.
He said the baby will be under observation and may be discharged after two weeks depending on his condition.
Doctors say that in SHC, burns are caused as the body catches fire because of the excretion of gases.
“The mother told us that the baby has suffered four episodes of such spontaneous fire and suffered burn injuries. The last episode was a month back. The baby was admitted to the Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) (in Puducherry),” Dr R Jayachandran, a professor in the department of paediatrics at KMC, told IANS.
According to Dr Babu, the baby has burn injuries in the abdomen and chest. The injuries are on the front of the body.
“We have only the mother’s version. The baby has to be carefully observed. We have to investigate whether the ailment is genetic. We will carry out tests to find out the kind of gases generated by the baby,” Dr Jayachandran said.
Doctors said some of the tests needed were very costly and may have to be done elsewhere.
The doctor said until a proper diagnosis is made, the baby would be given treatment that is only symptomatic, with the administration of antibiotics.
The baby’s parents, Rajeswari and Karna, are agricultural labourers at Villupuram district, around 160 km from the state capital. Rahul has a two-year-old sister.
The disease is seen only in 200 people across the world in the past 300 years.
Rahul was nine days old when he first developed spontaneous burns. The baby emitted some highly combustible gas through the pores of his skin, which made him catch fire.
There are many theories about the poorly understood condition, ranging from high acetone content in the body to the paranormal. Some doctors say everyone has certain amount of alcohol present in their blood and when its content is high, it combines with the gases in the body; resulting in burns. Though there is no special cure for the condition, it can be treated like a regular burn injury.
A plausible hypothesis for SHC is that some bacteria, such as the methanogenic micro-organism-archaebacteria, in the intestine convert the food into methane, which is a combustible substance.
A small spark, which need not be an obvious one, anywhere nearby, can trigger the fire. If the child is covered with a silk cloth which can generate static electricity, the combustible gas and the electricity can cause fire. The boy should not be near inflammable substances. — with Shreya Nakipuria and 2 others. (4 photos)
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