Girl who is less sensitive to pain has genetic disorder

She once showed little reaction on losing a tooth after running into a sofa frame at home

- Zhaki Abdullah

When Geethika Rao was six months old, her parents noticed she had not hit certain developmental milestones, such as rolling over or sitting up.

Her father, Mr Veerama Rao, noted that their son, who is three years older than Geethika, had not encountered such delays as an infant.

"That is when we had some suspicion that something is not right," said the 44-year-old IT professional.

On the advice of relatives, the family, who were still living in India at the time, took Geethika to neurologists and other specialists for a diagnosis.

Despite running a number of genetic tests, doctors were unable to determine what exactly her condition was.

After the family moved to Singapore in 2018, when Geethika was eight months old, her parents continued their search for a diagnosis.

Other symptoms emerged: Geethika experienced sleep disturbances, often waking up at night, and showed a reduced sensitivity to pain.

Mr Rao recalled that once Geethika, who is now seven, showed little reaction even when she lost a tooth after running into the wooden frame of a sofa at home.

"She only cried for about 10 to 15 minutes, and then she fell asleep," he said.

It was only in 2022, after a visit to the National University Hospital (NUH), that they discovered that Geethika has a developmental disorder known as Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS).