Pakistan’s former military ruler General (retd.) Pervez Musharraf died on Sunday in Dubai after a prolonged illness. The 79-year-old who was the architect of the Kargil War in 1999 was suffering from amyloidosis, a rare disease caused by a build-up of an abnormal protein called amyloid in organs and tissues throughout the body, according to his family, PTI reported.
General (retd) Musharraf died at a hospital in Dubai.
He had been undergoing treatment at the American Hospital Dubai. He had been living in Dubai since 2016.
In a statement issued immediately after Musharraf’s death, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan military, said that Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad and all the services chiefs express their heartfelt condolences
“May Allah bless the departed soul and give strength to the bereaved family,” it said.
What is the condition all about?
Dr Atul Ingale, Consultant Nephrologist and Transplant Physician, Director, Department of Nephrology, Fortis Hiranandani Hospital, Vashi said that the condition can cause organ dysfunction and death.
According to a National Center for Biotechnology Information paper, it affects less than 2,00,000 people in the United States which is why it is classified as a rare disease by the National Institutes of Health.
What causes it and how is it diagnosed?
Amyloidosis results from the accumulation of pathogenic amyloids(type of protine)—most of which are aggregates of misfolded proteins—in a variety of tissues, Dr Ingale noted. Dr Ravi Shekhar Jha, director and head, pulmonology, Fortis Hospitals, Faridabad said that it is not easy to diagnose and can lead to slow death.