A two-month-old baby who developed a painful inflamed rash which created open wounds all over her body has been cured at Tameside hospital.
Little Esme Kernycznyj from Mossley was diagnosed with a rare skin condition after horrified mum Helen took her to a Tameside Hospital after various other treatments proved unsuccessful.
Helen, a primary school teacher, said: “What we went through up until arriving at Tameside Hospital was horrendous – it was a really traumatic time.
“She was in a lot of pain because of her condition and as a mum that was very upsetting.”
Esme was shortly admitted to the Children’s Ward at Tameside hospital where she was initially treated for severely infected eczema but the spreading of the rash was unusual for a young baby so was requested to see a dermatologist immediately.
Esme was seen by Dr Eileen Parry, one of Tameside’s Consultant Dermatologists, who diagnosed Esme with Acrodermatitis Enteropathica which was confirmed by blood tests.
The rare condition is caused by a zinc deficiency which affects one in 500,000 people and resulted in the deaths of sufferers as recently as 40 years ago.
PAINFUL: Images showing the progression of Esme’s rash from severe to nearly healed
Dr Parry said: “Acrodermatitis Enteropathica is rare so you would not think to check for it unless you had heard about the condition before.”.
Once Esme was identified with the rare disease dramatic improvements were seen once she started zinc supplements.
Dr Parry added: “The satisfying thing is that this condition responds very rapidly to treatment, so within four or five days of starting Esme on zinc supplements, the difference really was dramatic.”
The family still do not know whether Esme will have to remain on zinc supplements for the rest of her life but are happy that she is recovering and is doing well.
Helen added: “We were so happy with the standard of care at Tameside. It was excellent.
“To look at her now, you would never know what she’s been through. She’s a pleasant and happy little girl and I am so thankful the hospital was able to treat her.”
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