Celine Dion diagnosed with incurable Stiff Person Syndrome – signs
Addressing her fans in an Instagram post, the star explained that she’d been plagued with symptoms for a long time.
She wrote: “I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time and it been really difficult for me to face my challenges and to talk about everything that I’ve been going through.
“Recently I’ve been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called the stiff person syndrome which affects one in a million people.
“While we’re still learning about this rare condition, we now know that is what’s been causing all the spasms I’ve been having.”
A recent entry on Celine’s website states that she’s being treated “for severe and persistent muscle spasms which are preventing her from performing, and her recovery is taking longer than she hoped”.
The statement continues: “Her medical team continues to evaluate and treat the condition.”
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In the initial stages, SPS is characterised by fluctuating muscle rigidity which can cause a person to adopt an abnormal posture or force them to become hunched over.
As it progresses, individuals develop a heightened sensitivity to stimuli such as noise, touch and emotional distress.
This sensitivity to environmental stimuli can set off severe muscle spasms so severe that they cause the person to fall down, explains Yale Medicine.
The muscles in question are typically those located in the trunk and legs.
The Cleveland Clinic adds: “People with this condition first experience a stiffening of the muscles of their trunk followed, over time, by the development of stiffness and rigidity in the legs and other muscles in the body.”
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The Cleveland Clinic adds: “People with this condition first experience a stiffening of the muscles of their trunk followed, over time, by the development of stiffness and rigidity in the legs and other muscles in the body.”
Though health organisations put the prevalence of the condition at around one in every million people, studies suggest this may be an underestimation.
This rarity means a great number of patients and families are left with many questions and few answers.
But despite being an exceptionally uncommon condition, symptoms of a classic case will paint a clear clinical picture for doctors familiar with it.
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From symptom onset to death, the course of stiff person syndrome ranges from six to 28 years, according to Medicine Net.
“Many patients have a slow course of the disorder that is mostly without symptoms, punctuated by occasional episodes of stiffness,” adds the health body.
Because no treatment is able to slow the course of the condition, doctors focus on relieving symptoms with medications such as sedatives, muscle relaxants and steroids.
Sometimes, immunoglobulin treatments administered intravenously are prescribed to appease discomfort.
How does SPS affect lifespan?
The average lifespan of SPS patients is often challenged, as it will hinge on the individuals and the course of their treatment.
Usually, lifespan is determined by the severity of the syndrome, with death being one of the most unpredictable factors of the disease.
“In this condition, patients are generally injury-prone, and that reduces their lifespan by a considerable amount,” explains Medicinenet.
Treatments that reduce stiffness and lower sensitivity to noise, however, offer strong chances of reducing the risk of injury.
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