Grammy Award-winning singer Céline Dion revealed that she was recently diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder known as stiff person syndrome.
In an emotional video posted on Instagram, the 54-year-old pop star explained that she has been dealing with health issues for some time, including severe and persistent muscle spasms that affect her ability to perform.
“Unfortunately, the spasms affect every aspect of my daily life; Sometimes they cause difficulties when I walk and don't allow me to use my vocal cords to sing like I'm used to," Dion said in the video.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, stiff person syndrome is extremely rare, affecting around one in a million people. Symptoms—which can range from mild to severe—can appear at any age, but the disease is most commonly seen in adults ages 30 to 60.
Twice as many women as men are affected by stiff person syndrome. The disorder is also more common in people with other types of autoimmune diseases, such as diabetes, thyroiditis, vitiligo (loss of skin color), pernicious anemia, and certain types of cancer, including breast, lung, kidney, thyroid, colon, and Hodgkin lymphoma.
Scientists don't know exactly what causes this disorder, and there is no known way to prevent it.
