Nine-year-old Progeria patient from Thane practices yoga to maintain strong immune system

A nine-year-old boy from Thane, who is ageing eight times faster than normal, due to rare genetic disorder progeria has not only been practising yoga but also encourages others to do the same. In a bid to create a healthy environment, he also runs yoga classes for children to inculcate healthier habits in them.

Thane: Nine-year-old boy from Thane, who is suffering from a rare genetic disorder progeria practices yoga to maintain a strong immune system and lives life as normal as possible.

Progeria causes rapid ageing and sufferers of the genetic disease are prone to arthritis, eye problems, heart disease and baldness.

Progeria patient-Aditya Sahu who is ageing eight times faster than normal has not only been practising yoga for the past several years but also encourages others to do the same. In a bid to create a healthy environment, Sahu also runs yoga classes for children to inculcate healthier habits in them.

"Yoga helps us in maintaining physical and mental balance. I enjoy doing yoga and it gives me peace," said Sahu, who lives life to the fullest despite being a medically fragile child.

Average life expectancy for progeria children is about 14 years. Though many die younger, usually from heart attacks or strokes, some lonafarnib-treated kids have lived to their late teens.

On the occasion of International Yoga Day, Sahu performed some special aasans (postures) and recommended everyone to practise yoga to stay healthy amid the pandemic and otherwise.

The Progeria Research Foundation (PRF) is the only organization in the world dedicated to discovering treatments and the cure for children with Progeria. Sahu is also associated with the organization.

In May 2016, India's first Progernia patient-Nihal Bitla, who was instrumental in creating awareness about the disorder in India, and was the face of the PRF’s campaign to detect undiagnosed children living in India, died.

According to PRF, there are an estimated 350-400 children living with Progeria worldwide and approximately 200 children remain undiagnosed. About 60 of the unknown children live in India- untreated and in need of help. Of those 60, there are 18 children currently identified in India.

PRF is searching for the unidentified children in India so that they can provide help through their programmes.

The Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome is named after the efforts of Dr Jonathan Hutchinson, who first described the disease in 1886. In 1904, Dr Hastings Gilford read further about the genetic disease.