Advance Stem cell Treatment for Oculopharyngeal Muscular Dystrophy in India
Do you need to get the proper treatment for your oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy?
Are you concerned about the symptoms of eyelid drooping in oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy?
Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy generally occurs after the age of 40 years and is associated with swallowing problems and drooping eyelids. It will worsen your quality of life and make you weak and fatigued.
You will be worried as there is no conventional treatment or cure.
But there is always some hope for you to eliminate your symptoms.
Advanced stem cell therapy for your throat and facial muscles can reverse your symptoms and help you live a normal life again.
Let us see how Thomas reversed his oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy.
Thomas used to go to the office every day and was very serious with his work. He had his wife and he used to maintain a perfect work-life balance.
He maintained good health and used to go out with his friends on weekends.
But one day, he started feeling facial pain and discomfort while swallowing his food. He told his wife to make softer food for him but it could not cure his problem.
He went to the doctor who initially identified it as a muscular problem. Then he prescribed a muscle biopsy which came out positive for oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy.
The doctor suggested some medicines to him but told him that his disease could be managed but could not be cured by conventional treatment.
Thomas felt hopeless as he wanted to become successful professionally. He wanted to live a normal life.
Thomas came to know that the disease was progressive in nature and he required some treatment to check the progression.
His friend Lisa told him about MedicoExperts, an organization in India that helps to treat all kinds of muscular dystrophy in people from all over the world.
Thomas came to India for treatment and with the help of MedicoExperts met the best orthopedic doctors and stem cell therapists.
He underwent stem cell treatment for about 2 months and his symptoms started reducing gradually.
He went back to Nigeria and thanked the doctors and MedicoExperts for their help.
Let’s know about Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy in brief.
What is oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy?
Oculopharyngeal dystrophy is a rare inherited disease with adult onset generally after the age of 40. It is a progressive disease, but the symptoms worsen very slowly.
What are the symptoms of oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy?
The symptoms of the disease are as follows
- Difficulty in swallowing
- Difficulty in eye movement
- Double vision
- Difficulty in speaking
- Drooping eyelids
- Weakness in the tongue
People with oculopharyngeal dystrophy eventually have problems with leg and hip muscles and they need a wheelchair for movement.
What are the causes of oculopharyngeal dystrophy?
The main cause of oculopharyngeal dystrophy is a mutation ( change in gene sequences) in PABPN1 gene. If one copy of the gene is inherited from the parents, then this disease is caused. Therefore, either the mother or the father will pass on the defective gene to the offspring.
In case, the person receives both copies of the defective gene, from both the parents, then the disease becomes more serious in nature.
How is oculopharyngeal dystrophy diagnosed?
The disease can be detected by doing a blood test to check for mutation in the PABPN1 gene.
There are further examinations that can confirm the disease
- Electromyogram: This test includes nerve conduction studies and tests to know how the muscle responds to nerve impulses. Needle electrode is used in this type of test for passing current through the nerve and the muscle.
- Muscle Biopsy: If the result of the blood test is not clear, then a small piece of muscle is taken out to check the mutation of the PABPN1 gene in the muscle cells
- Swallowing test: In this type of test swallowing is performed by the patient to check the type of swallowing difficulty or dysphagia.
What is the treatment for oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy?
Speech therapy can be useful for your condition. You can be trained to position your head, take small bits or eat easy-to-swallow food.
If you have the severe form of the disease, you may need to take the help of physiotherapists. They may guide you to use canes and wheelchairs.
Botulinum toxin injections are given at the top of your throat to relax the muscles so that you can chew and swallow the food better. The injections have to taken at regular intervals either weekly or monthly.
In this type of surgery, an incision is made in the cricopharyngeal muscles, just above the esophagus. This is done to relax the pharyngeal muscle and easy passage of food to the esophagus.
In this type of surgery, an incision is made in the cricopharyngeal muscles, just above the esophagus. This is done to relax the pharyngeal muscle and easy passage of food to the esophagus.
The plastic surgeon may correct your drooping eyelids so that there is less problem in vision.
Tube feeding through the nose or through the stomach is important if the swallowing problem becomes very severe. Tube feeding continues till the swallowing problem becomes a little better. The main aim is to provide nutrition while bypassing the throat completely.
Advanced treatment using Stem cell therapy
Stem cells can differentiate into myogenic cells of the pharynx and the eyes. If proper growth factors are provided along with bone marrow-derived stem cells, it can repair the damaged muscles of the throat and the eyelids.
As a result of stem cell therapy, there will be a reduction in the symptoms of oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy and the swallowing problem may be managed completely. You will be able to chew and swallow food normally without the help of a feeding tube. Your problem with tongue atrophy can also get reduced helping you to speak properly.
What are the complications of oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy?
One of the main complications of the disease is aspiration pneumonia in which food saliva and foreign particles enter the lungs causing infection and inflammation.
Choking can also happen due to poor quality of swallowing
Malnutrition can also happen as a result of the disease as there is a swallowing problem or dysphagia associated with the disease.
What is the prognosis of oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy?
Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy does not limit your life span, but it can definitely affect the quality of your life. You can manage the disease with support from healthcare professionals and avoid complications of the disease.
What is the cost of oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy treatment in India?
The cost of stem cell therapy for muscular dystrophy treatment in India starts from USD 2000 per cycle, depending on the patient’s current condition, treating doctor, and suggested treatment protocol.
Conclusion :
Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy is a disease that affects individuals after 40 years of age. It reduces the quality of life and creates a painful situation for the affected people.
Currently, conventional treatment cannot relieve the symptoms completely.
Stem cell therapy is an advanced form of treatment that has the ability to completely reduce the progressive symptoms of oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy.
MedicoExperts is a global virtual hospital that has an expert panel of orthopedics and stem cell therapists. The MedicoExperts team is available 24/7 to provide you with the best treatment options for your progressive oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy..
Frequently Asked Questions and patient concerns:
Q1. What age group does oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy affect?
Ans: It affects people of 40-50 years and is progressive, inherited disease.
Q2. What is the current status of stem cell therapy from the regulatory framework?
Ans: The stem cell-based therapy is in the research phase and not yet formally approved by ICMR. However, the application of stem cells, popularly known as bone marrow transplants, in blood-related disorders is approved by ICMR.
MedicoExperts is a Global virtual hospital which is established to offer quality healthcare services at affordable pricing without compromising the success rates of the treatment.
MedicoExperts is having a network of highly experienced super specialist doctors and well equipped hospitals across the globe and offering second opinion through online video consultation and surgical interventions through its empanelled super specialist doctors at its network hospitals in 17 countries from 3 continents.
By the virtue of its approach and model, MedicoExperts is successfully achieve to deliver
- Latest and most advanced treatments with success rates of international benchmarks.
- Multiple cost options depending upon the hospital facilities, with the same doctor.
- Treatment option in multiple cities/state/countries.
- Trust and peace of mind.
Most suitable for patients who are looking for:-
- Planned Surgeries and treatment from most experienced doctors and at multiple cost options as per hospital facilities with best possible outcomes.
- Second Opinion from expert doctors.
- Complex cases involving multi specialities
- International patients looking for treatment from Indian doctors
