Varun Dhawan says Citadel co-actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu was administered oxygen during shoot

The second one, Dhawan shared, was when they were shooting in Serbia at a railway station and she had to run behind him.

“So I have run past the camera, and she is still in the frame, and she just collapsed. I caught her and I went to Raj and said, ‘Pack up’, and they were like, ‘Calm down. You go and stand over there. Don’t worry, she will be fine.’ I just didn’t know what to do,” Dhawan added.

Notably, Samantha shared that while she initially wanted to back out of the project due to her myositis diagnosis, directors Raj and DK convinced her to play the part in the Amazon Prime series.

Taking a cue from Varun Dhawan’s admission, let’s understand why an oxygen tank may be required for those with autoimmune conditions like myositis.

Dr Ravi Shekhar Jha, pulmonologist and director of pulmonology, MD, MRCP, Fortis Hospital, Faridabad, said that myositis is “sometimes associated with dangerous kind of interstitial lung disease (ILD), which is rapidly progressive and fatal if not treated.”

Lack of oxygen can be fatal (representative image) (Source: Getty Images/Thinkstock)

“Delay can be fatal. Providing them with adequate oxygen if there is oxygen deficiency is paramount. It is also important to consider that they must always wear masks since they have low immunity due to the medicines used to treat myositis, and even a trivial infection can be a threat to life,” Dr Jha explained.

According to Dr Jha, oxygen is needed only when blood oxygen levels drop. “Interstitial lung disease, or ILD, which is strongly associated with myositis, causes the lungs to shrink, and the lungs can not produce enough oxygenated blood. ILD of myositis is one of the worst ILDs known,” said Dr Jha.

DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to. Always consult your health practitioner before starting any routine.