Bradford man with rare blood condition first to undergo treatment

A man with a rare, life-threatening blood condition has become the first patient in the UK to benefit from a new treatment.

Zehair Ayub, from Bradford, was diagnosed with an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in 2011, which can disrupt normal blood circulation and cause fatal bleeding.

The AVM was deep in Zehair’s brain and had caused a large aneurysm, which was pressing on his visual nerves, affecting his sight.

After 15 years of unsuccessful treatments, he said he “took a chance” on the therapy, but “had complete confidence in the team”.

“For 15 years I lived with the AVM, but I was eventually told there were no treatment options left. Everything was getting worse so quickly.

“My eyesight was failing, my coordination was going, I knew I needed help. Dr Fathallah came along at exactly the right time,” he said.

An AVM is an abnormal tangle of connections between blood vessels where arteries and veins connect directly.

Between September 2025 and May 2026, Zehair underwent four rounds of treatment with Leeds Teaching Hospitals’ consultant Dr Fathallah Islim.

Dr Islim had completed a fellowship at a centre in Germany involved in the European trial of ihtObtura.

IhtObtura is a liquid injected into the affected blood vessels to close them and prevent blood flowing abnormally.

Dr Islim said the treatment was often reserved for untreatable AVMs.

“The risks are high and daunting for both the clinician and patient. Obtura is a new innovative material that has helped cure Zehair’s AVM and help him get his life back, which made us very happy for him and his family,” he said.