In a video posted on Instagram this Thursday, Canadian singer Céline Dion announced that she was canceling part of her tour scheduled for 2023, and in particular her performance scheduled for next summer at the Vieilles Charrues festival. In question, her health problems, over which she for the first time lifted the veil.
“I have been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called ‘stiff person syndrome’ (stiff man syndrome), which affects approximately one in a million people. We still do not know everything about this rare disease, but now we know that it is the cause of the muscle spasms that I suffer from, “explained the singer.
fluctuating muscle stiffness
According to the American Institutes of Health (NIH), stiff man syndrome is a rare neurological disease with features of an autoimmune disorder.
It is characterized by “fluctuating stiffness of the muscles of the trunk and extremities and increased sensitivity to external stimuli such as noise, touch, emotional distress… which can trigger muscle spasms.”
Symptoms that affect Celine Dion in her day to day, and that explain the partial postponement of her tour. “These spasms affect my daily life on many levels. Sometimes I have a lot of difficulty walking and I can’t always use my vocal cords to sing as I would like, ”the Canadian continued in her video.
The US Institutes of Health reports that people with stiff man syndrome may fear leaving their homes for fear of noise disturbance. A simple car horn can trigger muscle spasms.
Treatments to relieve symptoms
Without proper treatment or care, patients with this extremely rare condition can develop an abnormal, stooped, or rigid posture. Scientists have not yet found the reasons for the outbreak of the disease, which affects twice as many women as men. But its consequences are the result of a dysfunctional autoimmune response between the brain and spinal cord.
Although the first cases of this syndrome were documented as early as 1956, patients are still often misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis. The spasms can be relieved with high doses of diazepam, a powerful anxiolytic.
“A recent study funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders demonstrated the efficacy of intravenous immunoglobulin treatments in reducing stiffness and sensitivity to noise, touch, and stress in people with stiff man syndrome,” write the American Institutes of Neurological Disorders. health.
These treatments aim to inject antibodies into the patient’s blood from a pool of plasma from several thousand blood donors. But even according to the NIH, these different treatments do not cure the disease that Celine Dion suffers today. They simply allow the observed symptoms to be controlled, which can even sometimes cause violent falls.
The Canadian singer tried to reassure her fans, indicating that she has “an excellent team of doctors at her side who treat her so that I get better.” “In addition, I train every day with my sports medicine therapist to regain the strength and stamina that will allow me to perform again,” said the star.
Source: BFM TV
