A CHAMPION Irish Dancing Worcester teenager whose skin condition was so bad she was unable to even go for a walk without suffering a severe reaction has returned to the dancefloor.
Connie McGrath, 15, was an active and sporty girl throughout her early childhood, but began developing red itchy rashes after any physical activity as she entered her early teens.
Having tried a number of antihistamine treatments, specialist doctors at Worcestershire Royal Hospital diagnosed Connie with Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria and decided to give her a little-known treatment called Omalizumab therapy.
And now the talented teen is back doing what she loves after the therapy which involves receiving monthly injections of Omalizumab – the first time the therapy has been carried out on a child in Worcestershire’s hospitals
After just four courses of injections, Connie has almost no symptoms at all and has begun dancing and exercising again.
Her mum Meghan described her daughter as ‘a bubbly ball of energy’ before her symptoms began.
But years of being unable to do many of the activities she had loved to do took its toll on Connie who was losing her confidence and her zest for life.
“Connie’s condition had a huge impact on her life and her mental health. She was a champion Irish Dancer but she couldn’t even practice,” Meghan said.
“She had to leave all her extra-curricular sports teams, was unable to do PE at school and couldn’t even bathe as sitting in a warm bath triggered the Urticaria.”
Although Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria is not uncommon – affecting around three per cent of people at some point in their lives – the symptoms can be extremely uncomfortable and debilitating.
It’s common to manage the symptoms with antihistamine treatments, but these were all unsuccessful for Connie.
She was referred to Worcestershire Royal Hospital and was seen by Dr Paul Watson – a consultant paediatrician with interest in respiratory and allergy and allergy nurse specialist Phoebe Moulsdale.
The Omalizumab drug injections are designed to reduce the body’s histamine chemicals which are the immune system’s natural response to a potential allergic reaction. In patients with Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria, this immune response causes irritating hives and itchiness.
“The treatment has really changed her life. Connie couldn’t be happier and Dr Watson and Phoebe have just been wonderful,” said Meghan. “We really can’t thank them enough!”
Dr Watson added: “The treatment is usually quite successful with adults, but Connie has shown a really remarkable improvement.
“She has gone from not being able to do much at all and staying on the sofa in fear of an outbreak, to going back to her dancing within a few months.”
Connie said: “From the first injections I had, I was able to be so much more active. After the first one my hives went down quite dramatically, but then from the second one onwards I’ve basically had no symptoms.
“I wasn’t expecting it to work this quickly at all, and when it started to work it felt like a lifesaver! Now I have so much more energy and I feel a lot happier again.”
