Spinal defect of 23-yr-old Maldivian cured through rare surgery in Kerala

The spinal defect of a 23-year-old Maldivian was cured through a rare surgery at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram that has fulfilled his prolonged wish to sit straight without falling.

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The 23-year-old patient from Maldives, Mohamad Raishan Ahmed, son of Ahmed Muhamad and Aminath Ibrahim was born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) type 2, a rare hereditary genetic condition in which muscles throughout the body are weakened because the nerve cells in the spinal cord and brainstem do not function properly. One in every 6,000 babies is born with SMA and is also a major cause of death in infancy.