What Is Stiff-Person Syndrome? What to Know About Céline Dion’s Neurological Disorder
Singer Celine Dion canceled the remainder of her world tour on Friday as she seeks treatment for a medical condition called Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS). The 55-year-old singer wrote a heartfelt note to fans on Instagram, and many are just now learning about this unique condition. Here’s a quick breakdown of SPS for the Dion fans just now hearing about it.
Stiff Person Syndrom is a rare autoimmune neurological disorder with no cure at the time of this writing, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. It causes severe muscle spasms, most notably with muscles locking up and becoming “stiff as a board” no matter how the patient tries to move them. The condition was originally known as “stiff man syndrome,” though since then researchers have found it is actually more common in women. It typically sets in when the patient is in their 40s or 50s and it can be managed, but not cured altogether.
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There are many other symptoms associated with SPS, and an alarming feature of the illness is that these syndromes tend to worsen over time – especially if they are not diagnosed and treated early. Some of the telltale signs can include walking with an unsteady gait, slurred speech, blurred vision and many different kinds of muscle stiffness or spasm. Patients also consistently report psychological symptoms, particularly anxiety. Because the symptoms can manifest in so many different ways, experts now explain SPS as “a spectrum or disorders, which means it is likely more common than originally thought.”
Researchers believe that SPS is an autoimmune disorder caused when the immune system attacks healthy tissue. They have found that most SPS patients have unique anitbodies in their blood created mistakenly by the body, and that they make confuse the nervous system causing spasms. SPS may be associated with other autoimmune disorders including type 1 diabetes, among others.
SPS is diagnosed through blood tests, EMG tests and imaging studies, typically by a neurologist. The treatment may vary as widely as the symptoms, but often includes some physical therapy and occupational therapy as well as medication. Some of the medication will target the immune system while others will help manage the symptoms. These can include muscle relaxers, serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and pain killers like gabapentin, which also effect the relevant neurotransmitters.
Sadly, Dion will need some time to build these treatments into her routine, meaning her Courage World Tour will be cut short. Her statement to fans read: “I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again. I’m working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be very difficult even when you’re 100%. It’s not fair to you to keep postponing the shows, and even though it breaks my heart, it’s best that we cancel everything now until I’m really ready to be back on stage again. I want you all to know, I’m not giving up… and I can’t wait to see you again!”
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