Celine Dion health is deteriorating as she is suffering from some critical issues. The French Canadian singer, Celine Dion, a legend of popular music, one of the most powerful and melodious voices ever heard. 

She is a woman who sings from her heart. In an Instagram video, she told her 5.2M followers about the health problem that she is tackling.

What’s the problem with Celine Dion health?

Celine Dion revealed that she has been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS), which is a very rare neurological disorder having features of an autoimmune disease.

This disease has affected Celine Dion health  badly and made it very difficult for her to walk and sing. It means that she would be unable to perform on stage as enthusiastically as she used to do. Moreover she said that she will be unable to perform her upcoming scheduled shows in the UK and Europe. The main reason for this delay is Celine dion health.

In her video she was found to be very emotional about this postponement of her upcoming shows for which she was very excited to play. We all know that she has been very passionate about her work and she has always performed with full zeal and zest.

Celine Dion health remarks by herself : 

Celine dion gave update about her health in her Instagram video. Let’s have a look at what she said in her insta story : 

“Hello everyone, I am sorry it’s taking me so long to reach out to you .I miss you all so much and I can’t wait to be on stage talking to you in person. As you know very well, I have always been an open book to all of you.

I have been dealing with problems with my health for a long time and it’s been really difficult to face these challenges and to talk about everything that I have been going through.

Recently my doctors have diagnosed me with a very rare neurological disorder called stiff person syndrome which affects only one in a million people. 

While we are still learning about this condition we now know this is what is causing all the spasms which I have been having . Unfortunately these spasms affect every activity of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulty when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I used to . 

It hurts me to tell you today. It means I won’t be able to resume my tour in Europe in february. I am working hard with my sports medicine therapist everyday to build back my strength and my ability to perform again. ”

What is Stiff Person Syndrome ?

Stiff person syndrome (short form SPS) is a very rare autoimmune neurological disease in which the patient experiences muscle stiffness (i.e increased resistance to muscle movement) and muscle spasms (sudden involuntary muscle contraction). 

The patient has to apply abnormally a lot of force to move his muscles and joints, which indicates that there has become a buildup of stiffness in muscles (as in case of Celine Dion health).

Moreover there are repeated episodes of painful muscle spasms which destructively affect the quality of life.

Which area of the body is affected by SPS ?

Stiff Person Syndrome can affect any area of body i.e any group of muscles of body. The localisation of muscles vary from person to person.

But usually people suffering from this condition experience stiffness in muscles of their trunk and abdomen. But with progression , it spreads to the muscles of limbs (arms and legs). 

Ultimately it becomes difficult for the patient to walk and to perform daily routine activities. In the case of Celine dion health, this syndrome affected her leg muscles, that’s why it has become difficult for her to walk and perform.

What is another name of Stiff Person Syndrome ?

Stiff-person syndrome has been mentioned in the medical literature under various different and confusing names.

Previously Stiff person syndrome was called “stiff man syndrome,” but then the name was updated to make it more inclusive, as the disease can affect individuals of any age and sex.

Incidence of Stiff Person Syndrome : 

Stiff person Syndrome is a very rare disease which occurs only in 1-2 individuals per million. 

Plus, it mostly affects women as compared to men. So women are more likely to have SPS. One most popular case of this womanly incidence of this syndrome is Celine dion health.

Cause of Stiff person syndrome :

According to the research which has been done so far, it is suspected that SPS may be caused by an autoimmune reaction. Autoimmune reaction is a reaction in which the body’s own immune system start destroying the body. 

In case of SPS, the immune system attacks an essential enzyme called glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), whose main role is to produce a neurotransmitter in the brain called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). 

 GABA is inhibitory in its nature as it inhibits the transmission of signals in the brain. It inhibits the activity of motor neurons (neurons which are responsible to produce muscle movement) thereby regulating muscle control. 

When there are low levels of GABA because of autoimmune reaction, then it results in continuously firing neurons even when they’re not supposed to. This is the basic mechanism of muscle spasms. 

According to a study almost 60-80 percent of Stiff Person Syndrome patients have anti-GAD antibodies in blood and cerebrospinal fluid (fluid protecting the brain).

Symptoms of Stiff Person Syndrome : 

Symptoms of Stiff Person Syndrome can take several months to a few years to start occurring in the patient. Here are the main symptoms of Stiff Person Syndrome : 

• Muscle Rigidity ( increased resistance to muscle movement )
• Muscle Spasm (sudden involuntary muscle contraction)

Other symptoms may include : 

• Posture problem
• Sensitivity to light, noise and sound
• Difficulty to walk (as in Celine dion health case)

How can these symptoms be triggered ?

Symptoms of Stiff Person Syndrome can be triggered by the following stimuli :

• Loud noises
• Physical touch or stimulation
• Emotional Stress
• Temperature changes
• Suffocation
• Stressful events

Treatment

Stiff Person Syndrome is not curable yet. However, some treatments are available which help in managing the symptoms.

 These treatments ameliorate the condition and also stop it from getting worse. Symptomatic treatment of muscle spasms and stiffness can be treated by following medications : 

• Muscle relaxers
• Anti-seizure medications
• Anticonvulsants 

In addition to this symptomatic treatment, other treatment may include : 

• Injecting Intravenous immunoglobulin
• Plasmapheresis (change of plasma with new plasma)
• Immune suppressing drugs

These treatments could be beneficial for Celine dion health.

Call to Action : 

If you are having any symptoms of muscle rigidity and muscle spasms, and it is creating unfortunate conditions in your life as in case of Celine Dion health, then you should immediately consult it with your doctor. 

FAQs

Bibliography Sources : 

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