Sharjah: Doctors at NMC Royal Hospital Sharjah successfully diagnosed and treated a rare, potentially life-threatening condition in a 33-year-old woman after her symptoms initially appeared to be caused by a severe infection.

The patient was admitted with high fever, severe body aches and blood test results that strongly suggested a serious infection. Initial scans also showed involvement of multiple organs, including the lungs and kidneys, making the case appear at first to be a straightforward infectious illness.

However, as doctors continued their assessment, they found that the clinical picture did not fully match the expected diagnosis. Despite extensive testing, no clear source of infection could be identified, prompting the medical team to investigate further for an alternative cause.

A routine chest X-ray provided the first major clue when it revealed an unusual abnormality in the aorta, the main blood vessel carrying blood from the heart to the rest of the body. The finding was unexpected in a young woman and led doctors to carry out urgent specialist investigations.

Further examination uncovered a noticeable difference in blood pressure between the patient’s arms, along with abnormal blood flow sounds in the neck. These signs indicated a possible blood vessel disorder rather than infection.

Advanced imaging later confirmed widespread inflammation and narrowing of major arteries supplying blood to the brain and upper body. Within days, doctors reached the final diagnosis of Takayasu arteritis, a rare inflammatory disease affecting large blood vessels and one that can be difficult to detect in its early stages.

Takayasu arteritis is more commonly seen in young women and often begins with general symptoms such as fever, fatigue and body pain. Because these symptoms closely resemble common infections, diagnosis is frequently delayed. If left untreated, the condition can lead to stroke, organ damage and long-term disability due to reduced blood flow.

Once the diagnosis was confirmed, the patient was started on targeted treatment to control inflammation. Doctors said the timely intervention helped reduce the risk of serious complications and improved her overall outcome.

Dr Muhammed Azhar Abdullah, Consultant Rheumatology and Specialist Internal Medicine at NMC Royal Hospital Sharjah, said:

“Cases like this show that medicine is not only about advanced technology, but also about careful observation and clinical judgment. When symptoms do not fully fit the expected diagnosis,it is important to pause and reassess. Early recognition of Takayasu arteritis can make a significant difference to outcomes, and in this case, teamwork and attention to subtle signs helped us reach the correct diagnosis in time.”

The case highlights the importance of combining modern diagnostics with strong clinical assessment, and reflects the growing capabilities of NMC Royal Hospital Sharjah in managing complex and rare medical conditions through multidisciplinary care.

Annie Bond, 37, was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in August 2015. Shortly after sharing her diagnosis, some of her friends sent miracle cures and wigs in the mail. 

“That was weird because I didn’t even know if I was going to lose my hair,” Bond says.

Bond has lived with metastatic breast cancer for over a decade and has lost friends who were not comfortable with the way her life has changed.

“The best thing anyone ever did was just stick around and stay open-minded. Just remember everything that’s true about your friend or your loved one is still true after they’re diagnosed,” she says.

When someone you love is diagnosed with metastatic or stage 4 breast cancer, you may struggle to find the right words or wonder what kind of support will actually help.

A stage 4 diagnosis will drastically change your loved one’s life. Before you try to help, remember that they are still a full, complete person, not just a cancer patient. Continuing to show up can make a meaningful difference as they navigate their life with metastatic disease. Focus on what you can do to help, rather than retreating from the relationship out of fear.

Do: Respect Boundaries

Every person with metastatic breast cancer is different; some people want to share updates, while others prefer to keep their journeys private.

Frances Malinis, 42, who was diagnosed with triple-negative metastatic breast cancer, says she was very selective about who to share information with initially. She knew some people would not handle it well, and others would try to make themselves part of the “drama.”

“Don’t try to get information out of [your loved one] that they’re not already wanting to give. Because what are your intentions? Are you just looking for entertainment?” Malinis says.

Try not to get offended if your loved one seems distant because they may not have the energy or emotional bandwidth to respond to every message you send. 

“One of the main things families can do is to be incredibly patient and understanding with the level of anxiety and fear that patients live with,” says Ian Sadler, PhD, an assistant professor of medical psychology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Do: Try to Educate Yourself About Breast Cancer

Metastatic breast cancer means the cancer has spread to the bones, lungs, liver, or other parts of the body. While it is not yet curable, it is manageable for many people.

“Modern developments in cancer treatment have turned metastatic breast cancer into a chronic disease for many patients,” says Swati Sikaria, MD, an oncologist at a Cedars-Sinai affiliate in Torrance, CA.

Prognosis varies person to person, but new treatments have significantly extended survival rates and quality of life for many people with metastatic breast cancer.

Malinis says some friends would ask how much time she had left, and others would send messages that felt like a eulogy. “I get that they wanted to express their care and love for me, but don’t write me off yet,” she says. 

Do: Provide Practical Support

People living with metastatic breast cancer have to fit frequent healthcare appointments into their schedules. Sometimes, it’s best to offer to help with specific chores or errands rather than saying, “Reach out if you need anything.” 

“As a patient, I don’t really know what I could ask for from people,” Malinis says.

Some useful things to suggest might be rides to and from the doctor’s office, pet or babysitting, house cleaning, meal prepping or grabbing groceries or other household items while running your errands.

Malinis says sending flowers, comfort food, or food delivery gift cards also shows you are thinking of your loved one. If you want to drop gifts off, leave them on the doorstop. Don’t expect to socialize if your loved one does not feel ready to welcome guests. 

Do: Honor Your Loved One’s Independence

If your friend or family member asks you to join them at a doctor’s appointment, show up in a way that honors their independence.

“The support of family and friends is pivotal in the life of someone with metastatic breast cancer, but it’s important to come in with the goal of supporting that individual and not trying to assume control or take over the situation,” Sikaria says. 

If you want to support your loved one, Sikaria says you can:

• Help them write down their questions prior to the appointment.
• Talk to them before the appointment to learn if they even want to ask the oncologist about their prognosis.
• Provide an extra set of ears and take notes during the appointment.
• Trust that the oncologist is developing the best care plan for the patient, rather than offering your own ideas on supplements or treatments.

Don’t: Offer Diet Advice 

You may be inclined to investigate whether diet or other lifestyle factors contributed to your loved one’s diagnosis, but this is not helpful. 

Breast cancer development is complex, and as many as 10% of breast cancer cases are hereditary. Age, being born female, dense breast tissue, and genetic factors all increase risk. While certain lifestyle factors also contribute to breast cancer risk, having a poor diet does not automatically mean someone will develop cancer. 

“All of us will blame ourselves first, so please do not do anything to help us blame ourselves,” Bond says.

Don’t: Pretend Like They Don’t Have Cancer

Metastatic breast cancer is a permanent part of your loved one’s life. You will have to balance acknowledging their disease while also respecting their boundaries.  

“We didn’t ask to have this disease,” Bond says. “It doesn’t mean that we did something wrong, but the truth is the truth, which is that we have this disease forever.”

Even if your loved one is in remission or has no evidence of disease, like Bond, cancer still touches every aspect of their life. 

“I just wish that people would stop expecting us to forget about the cancer and be done with it when we’re metastatic,” Bond says. “Sorry, we don’t get that option.”

PEOPLE

Sleep, physical activity and diet are key lifestyle behaviours that influence the risk of cardiovascular disease and premature death.

Most cardiovascular prevention guidelines – such as recommendations to get at least 150 minutes a week of moderate‑intensity exercise or to follow a healthy dietary pattern like the DASH diet – have been built largely on evidence from studies in which these lifestyle behaviours were examined in isolation.

In real life, though, sleep, physical activity and nutrition are tightly interconnected, with changes in one often affecting the others.

Poor sleep, for example, can disrupt the secretion of appetite hormones, influencing food choices and calorie intake. Lack of sleep can also reduce the motivation to exercise as a result of fatigue.

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Diet, too, can influence sleep quality and energy for physical activity.

Now a new study, published March 26, investigated the relationship between all three lifestyle behaviours simultaneously and the risk of a major cardiovascular event, including heart attack, stroke and heart failure.

Turns out, you don’t need to completely overhaul your lifestyle to improve your cardiovascular health.

According to the findings, making small concurrent changes to daily sleep, physical activity and diet can have a surprisingly positive impact – one that’s at least as powerful as much larger changes to a single behaviour alone.

The latest research

The new study, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, set out to determine how combined variations in sleep, physical activity and diet influence the risk of heart attack, stroke and heart failure.

The researchers also aimed to identify the minimum combined improvements in these lifestyle behaviours associated with a clinically meaningful reduction in cardiovascular risk.

To do so, they analyzed data from 53,242 UK Biobank participants, average age 63, who were followed for eight years. The UK Biobank is a large-scale biomedical database and research resource containing health-related information from 503,317 participants across the U.K.

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Sleep (hours/day) and moderate- to vigorous- intensity physical activity (minutes/day) were measured using wearable devices.

Diet was assessed through a food frequency questionnaire; the data was then used to calculate participants’ diet quality scores.

The scoring system emphasized a higher intake of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, fish, dairy and healthy oils and a lower intake of refined grains, red and processed meats and sugary beverages.

Scores for each food category ranged from 0 (unhealthiest) to 10 (healthiest) for a total possible diet quality score of 100 points.

The findings

During the eight-year follow-up period, 2,034 major cardiovascular events occurred, which included 932 heart attacks, 584 strokes and 518 heart failure events.

A combined daily increase of as little as 11 minutes of sleep, 4.5 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity and a modest increase of three diet quality score points (an additional one quarter-cup of vegetables) was tied to a 10 per cent lower risk of a major cardiovascular event.

This was in comparison to people with the lowest levels of sleep (5.5 hours/day), physical activity (7.9 minutes/day) and diet quality score (37 points).

The researchers also identified an “optimal” lifestyle behaviour combination that offered substantial cardiovascular risk reduction.

Compared to the least healthy levels, getting eight to nine hours of sleep per night, at least 42 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity per day and having a moderate diet quality score was associated with 57 per cent lower risk of major cardiovascular events.

The findings held even after accounting for a wide range of factors, including age, sex, smoking, alcohol use, education, socioeconomic status, medication use and overall health.

Strengths, caveats

The study is credited for analyzing all three lifestyle behaviours together, reflecting how they interact in real life.

As well, sleep and physical activity were measured using wrist‑worn accelerometers, which provide much greater precision than self‑reported data.

By identifying the minimum combined changes in sleep, physical activity and diet linked to a clinically meaningful reduction in major cardiovascular events shifts the emphasis to feasible lifestyle improvements.

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The study’s main limitation was its observational design which can’t prove making these lifestyle changes will directly lower the risk of heart attack, stroke or heart failure.

The researchers noted that multibehaviour lifestyle intervention trials are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of small, achievable lifestyle changes for preventing major cardiovascular events.

Key takeaways

Even so, the new findings are relevant because they show that heart health isn’t all‑or‑nothing.

Small, doable changes in sleep, exercise and diet can add up, making cardiovascular prevention feel more achievable and less overwhelming for many people.

The findings don’t contradict established advice such as exercising regularly or following heart‑healthy eating patterns, though. Instead, they help explain why people may benefit even when they fall short of prescribed targets, and why partial adherence still matters.

What’s more, the findings align closely with guidance from the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation and the American Heart Association, which emphasizes that small, sustainable lifestyle changes add up over time and can meaningfully reduce cardiovascular risk.

Heart health improves through cumulative progress, not daily perfection.

The Globe and Mail