NEW DELHI: Actor Suhani Bhatnagar, who played young Babita Phogat in Aamir Khan-starrer wresting drama “Dangal”, has died at the age of 19.

Suhani’s father Sumit Bhatnagar said his daughter was suffering from Dermatomyositis, a rare inflammatory disease that causes skin rash and muscle weakness.

She was admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences on February 7 and died.

Causes:

Suhani was admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences on February 7 and died on February 16 after medical complications. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Shweta Singhai, Senior Consultant – Rheumatology at Sakra World Hospital in Bengaluru, revealed, “The exact cause of dermatomyositis is unknown, but it may be due to a viral infection of the muscles, mostly due to a problem with the body’s immune system (when the body develops autoantibodies to its own muscles and other body tissues), bacterial infections, occasionally vaccinations, environmental factors including UV radiation and air pollutants.”

She added, “It can sometimes be caused by drugs like statins used to reduce cholesterol. It is also associated with underlying malignancy in about 30-40% patients and they need to be screened for it especially if there is weight loss. It is a very rare disease, occurring in 2-3 people for every 1 lac population.”