Ja’bari Gray was born on January 1 in the San Antonio hospital in Texas at a normal weight of three kilos but with a very rare anomaly: an absence of skin on the limbs except on the head and the legs. Doctors first diagnosed the baby aplasia, a rare skin condition that is manifested by the arrest or failure of development of a tissue or organ. This hypothesis seemed the most plausible in the face of the absence of epidermis on the baby’s body, according to the medical team, reports USA Today.
When the baby was three months old, doctors changed their diagnosis. Ja’bari does not suffer from aplasia but from epidermolysis bullosa, a rare genetic skin disease that makes her extremely fragile. This incurable pathology results in the formation of blisters on the skin, causing its erosion. It can also affect the mouth, esophagus, lungs, muscles, eyes, nails and teeth. L’epidermolysis bullosaaffects 20 out of every 1 million newborns in the United States each year.
An operation to open the airways
In addition to his skin disease, Ja’bari was born with his chin stuck to his chest. His eyes, toes and fingers are also fused together. The baby is fed through a nasal tube and given pain medication. He cannot breathe on his own and will have to undergo surgery to clear his airways. The operation is not yet scheduled but the mother of little Ja’bari awaits this intervention with great hope.
Ja’bari’s parents have children aged 5 and 6. These must undergo genetic testing to verify that they are not also affected by this hereditary skin condition.
Read also
Two babies swapped at birth in Peru
Immunization coverage for babies is improving