UAE | Health
Experts rule out drug-linked fungal infection in UAE
A fungal infection linked to drugs used for the treatment of a crippling anti-immune disease is unlikely to affect patients in the UAE as the climate here does not support it, doctors say.
- By Nina Muslim, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:07 October 2, 2008
Dubai: A fungal infection linked to drugs used for the treatment of a crippling anti-immune disease is unlikely to affect patients in the UAE as the climate here does not support it, doctors say.
The US Food and Drug Administration issued a warning that a class of drugs called Tumour Necrosis Factor (TNF), used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA), makes users vulnerable to serious infections - including tuberculosis and histoplasmosis.
Histoplasmosis, a fungal infection occurring from spores found in bat and bird droppings, is particularly a concern as 20 per cent of patients on the drugs and with the infection in the US have died.
An infectious diseases expert at Rashid Hospital told Gulf News the risk was negligible to UAE patients on the drugs as the infection was extremely rare.
"There has not been a case of histoplasmosis reported in the UAE so far. The climate doesn't support it," he said.
"People who go hunting in the mountains may get it", but that is extremely rare, he added.
Dr Humeira Badsha, specialist rheumatologist at Dubai Bone and Joint Centre, agreed.
"The infection is rare anyway, but patients travel a lot. So [there is a possibility] they can catch it. But we screen patients very carefully. So far, there have been no cases," she said.
These drugs put patients with RA, a condition in which the immune system attacks the joints, more at risk of contracting serious infections as they suppress the immune system. A lower immune system means it is harder to fight infections, which can become fatal.
Although the chances of contracting histoplasmosis in the UAE are small, Dr Humeira said there was still a risk of other infections which should not be taken lightly by any patient or physician.
No early diagnosis
"The problem is they don't get diagnosed fast enough. People get a cough and they just think it's nothing. That's why I tell my patients to always call me if they have a cough [or any other flu-like symptoms]," she said.
"Even a cough can be a symptom of a potentially fatal infection," she added.
She said the warning should serve to make doctors more aware of the infection risks among patients taking these drugs. Doctors practising outside the field of RA should consider the drug while making their diagnosis and prescribing a treatment protocol.
She also said patients should not stop taking any drugs without consulting their doctor.
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