A six-year-old girl who developed a rash after hot weather has been rushed to Great Ormond Street Hospital with a life-threatening condition known as Macrophage Activation Syndrome (MAS), described by doctors as 'Pac-Man disease'. Esmae Smith, from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, initially presented with a rash on her hands and feet, which her mother, Starr Downs, 23, believed was an allergic reaction or heat rash.
After consulting a pharmacist, who suggested it looked like hives and prescribed anti-itch cream, Esmae's condition worsened. Her temperature spiked to 40 degrees Celsius, and by the time she saw a doctor on April 8, she struggled to walk up stairs. She was admitted to hospital for eight days, where her health declined rapidly, but doctors were initially unable to diagnose the cause.
On April 16, Esmae was transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital, where she was diagnosed with MAS. Starr explained that doctors compared her daughter's white blood cells to the video game character Pac-Man, which normally 'gobbles' infections. However, in Esmae's case, the cells do not stop attacking and instead destroy her immune system, damaging her liver and swelling her spleen.
The condition is believed to be triggered by Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (sJIA). Starr described the terrifying experience: 'I was so scared, she wasn't responding, she was just laying there staring into space.' Esmae has since started gruelling chemotherapy treatment, which has helped bring her back.
Doctors are unsure when Esmae will be discharged. Once home, she will require daily immune suppressant injections. Starr has launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover travel costs and provide Esmae with a 'big treat' when she recovers. She said: 'It's really scary because if she gets an infection in the future, will her body fight it? But we're in the safest hands.'
