Celine Dion Syndrome: She Reveals She Has A Rare Neurological Syndrome. These Are Its Symptoms!

Celine Dion Syndrome: She Reveals She Has A Rare Neurological Syndrome. These Are Its Symptoms!

Due to Celine Dion’s diagnosis with stiff-person syndrome, the public is now more aware of the uncommon neurological condition affecting one or two persons out of every million.

On Thursday, Celine Dion said that the ailment had forced her to change the dates of her upcoming European tour.

The singer explained the cause of her spasms in an Instagram video, saying, “While we’re still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what’s been causing all of the spasms I’ve been having. Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes making it difficult for me to walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing as I used to.

A common symptom of stiff-person syndrome is rigidity in the torso and limbs, along with solid muscle spasms that can make a person lose their balance. Cramps can happen randomly or be triggered by specific triggers, such as touch, mental distress, and loud noises.

The disorder “has a range of severity, from relatively moderate — easily controlled with a little bit of medicine — to those who are quite severe that can be, honestly, quite incapacitated by it,” according to Dr. Richard Nowak, an assistant professor of neurology at Yale School of Medicine.

In general, stiff-person syndrome interferes with the brain’s and muscles’ regular communication channels.

According to Nowak, a “huge firing” occurs from the central nervous system, down through the spinal cord, and down through the nerves as they plug into the muscles, which causes them to become rigid or go into spasm, which equals stiffness.

People with stiff-person syndrome typically, but not always, have high levels of antibodies that target a specific protein involved in regulating muscular activity. Doctors regard these patients as having an autoimmune disorder.

Rheumatologist Dr. Simon Helfgott of Harvard Medical School stated, “with stiff folks, the pathways that are affected are the brake pathways, so you’ve lost your brakes on your muscles.” “Your muscle cannot stop itself from contracting once it starts to do so.”

According to Helfgott, these antibodies, which a blood test can detect, are present in around two-thirds of people with stiff-person syndrome. However, according to him, just about 30% do, leaving researchers uncertain about what causes their condition.

According to Helfgott, a tiny percentage of cancer patients may also create antibodies that damage the neurological system and result in stiff-person syndrome.

According to Helfgott, symptoms of the illness go beyond the occasional, common muscle cramps and instead involve the muscles locking up. He continued that some of his patients had trouble walking or needed wheelchairs.

Helfgott remarked, mainly if you work as an artist on a stage of this kind, this is just such a severe condition. “Continued success is going to be very, very difficult.”

It frequently takes time to diagnose stiff-person syndrome since many symptoms are similar to Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, or anxiety. To do that, doctors employ a variety of instruments, such as blood tests, electromyography tests, which utilize tiny needles to monitor a person’s muscle and nerve reactions, and MRIs of the brain or spinal cord.

Helfgott claimed that the illness has no known treatment and is more challenging to treat than other autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis or Crohn’s disease.

According to Nowak, muscle relaxants or Botox injections can help with milder symptoms like spasms. Intravenous immunoglobulin, an infusion that has been demonstrated to lessen people’s stiffness and sensitivity to noise, touch, and stress, is frequently administered to patients with more severe symptoms.

However, according to Helfgott, their symptoms and intensity might change minute by minute, making it impossible to gauge whether a patient’s health would deteriorate over time.

He added that I have folks like that; they are the same now as they were ten years ago. “In certain circumstances, the condition can level off and stay the way it is. “In others, it’s a gradual, undetectable decrease.”

What Is Stiff-Person Syndrome?

Stiff-person syndrome (SPS) is an uncommon, chronic neurological condition that affects posture, balance, and the ability to use specific muscles. It produces muscle stiffness and occasionally severe muscle spasms in the trunk and limbs. According to experts, it typically has an autoimmune component and can sometimes be painful and progressive.

According to Mayo Clinic neurology professor Andrew McKeon, SPS impacts the brain’s motor neurons and the spinal cord’s motor nerves. In other words, when the nervous system is overstimulated, it may send the muscles too many signals, resulting in stiffness or spasm.

A person is more likely to fall and sustain injuries because their “whole body can seize up when startled or in other situations,” according to him.

Experts estimate that although the illness can affect anyone at any age, it affects women twice as frequently as males and is most commonly identified in middle-aged individuals.

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These Are Its Symptoms!

SPS can make walking difficult for some patients because it causes muscle stiffness, pains, and spasms, frequently in the legs and lower back. To avoid falling or hurting themselves, those with unmanaged symptoms may need to utilize a wheelchair or walker.

The muscle spasms are “stimulus sensitive,” as neurologists refer to them, and can be brought on by a sharp sound, a light touch, or even mental anguish. One illness can affect the muscles that regulate vision, speech, singing and swallowing.

Imagine experiencing the worst Charley Horse you can have, but it constantly impacts many muscles in your lower back and legs. Kunal Desai, an assistant professor of neurology at Yale University, said, “It hurts a lot.

According to Chi-Ying “Roy” Lin, a neurology professor at Baylor College of Medicine specializing in movement disorders, patients in the cases he has observed, “were very, incredibly uncomfortable, and it’s typically excruciating.”

Additionally, no matter the position, the pain is exceptionally severe when it manifests. They can’t stay in a sitting or lying position that is comfortable.

Usually, only the skeletal muscles that we can control are affected by the illness; smooth muscles or cardiac muscles are generally unaffected. Although it does not appear to influence cognition, it might be linked to anxiety.

Celine Dion claimed in her statement that the spasms had made her life challenging.

She remarked, “Unfortunately, these spasms impair every area of my daily life, occasionally making it difficult for me to walk and preventing me from using my vocal cords to sing as I normally would.”

The singer said she “won’t be ready to begin my tour in Europe in February” due to her illness.