This archive report was first published on 8 January 2020.
TV personality Betty Kyallo's daughter, Ivanna, was hospitalized for four months after being diagnosed with Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM), a rare and potentially life-threatening illness.
According to Betty, Ivanna's condition deteriorated rapidly, with the child stopping walking, talking, eating, and eventually falling into a deep coma that required life support for a month.
Betty revealed that doctors were unable to diagnose the condition for a long time, with numerous tests conducted to identify the cause of Ivanna's illness.
However, thanks to the efforts of her medical team, including Dr. Ismail, Dr. Oyatsi, and the ICU nurses, Ivanna was eventually diagnosed with ADEM.
ADEM is characterized by a brief but widespread attack of inflammation in the brain and spinal cord that damages myelin, the protective covering of nerve fibers.
The symptoms of ADEM appear rapidly, beginning with encephalitis-like symptoms such as fever, fatigue, headache, nausea, and vomiting, and in severe cases, seizures and coma.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), ADEM typically damages white matter, leading to neurological symptoms such as visual loss, weakness, and difficulty coordinating voluntary muscle movements.
While ADEM can be misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis, it has several distinct features, including rapid onset of fever, recent infection or immunization, and some degree of impairment of consciousness.
Children are more likely than adults to have ADEM, and the condition usually consists of a single episode or attack of widespread myelin damage.
Treatment for ADEM involves suppressing inflammation in the brain using anti-inflammatory drugs, with most individuals responding to several days of intravenous corticosteroids.
