What Is Stiff-Person Syndrome? Celine Dion's Rare Autoimmune Disorder

Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On is a song of all ages, for all age groups. The magic she creates whilst on stage is a sight to experience, and the singer was all set to bring that back in her upcoming tour. Dion cancelled and postponed a series of her shows and performances including a full-fledged tour of Europe which was scheduled to kickstart in February.

Taking to social media, Dion sent out an emotional message to her fans disclosing the reason for the same. She stated that she suffers from a rare autoimmune disorder, a neurological condition that has caused her severe health problems for a very long tie and continuing to go for tours may worsen her condition. 54-year-old Celine Dion announced her decision to postpone eight of her shows she was to perform to 2024, revealing that she suffers from a rare neurological disorder called Stiff-Person Syndrome which is incurable.

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Celine Dion Stiff Person Syndrome

The 'I'm Alive' singer shared the news of her health issues on Instagram through a detailed video message. She stated how she's been dealing with health problems for a long period, and talking about what she's been going through has been equally difficult and challenging at the same time. "It hurts me to share with you that I will not be ready to get back on the Europe tour in February," she said in an emotional message in both English and French.

"All I know is singing"

The singer revealed that she has been working with her sports medical therapist regularly so she can rebuild her strength and perform again but, she added, it has been a lot of struggle to come around. "I know singing and that’s that. It's what I've done all my life and the only thing I know. I miss performing," she added while breaking down. The singer rescheduled Spring 2023 shows to 2024 and cancelled eight shows she was to perform in the summer of 2023.

What is the Stiff-Person Syndrome?

Stiff-Person syndrome is also known as Moersch-Woltman syndrome. It's a rare autoimmune disorder that affects movement. The condition is called supremely rare because the chances of it occurring happens among one in every one million people. Affecting the central nervous system, the disorder attacks the neurologically ticked area of the body and causes extreme pain. Usually diagnosed among people who fall in the middle-aged category, the disease causes chronic pain and can be triggered by the slightest noise. The syndrome leads to stiffening of muscles around the trunk and abdomen of the person and, sometimes acute stiffness in the legs and other boy muscles. The movement disorder often leads the person to not have a choice when it comes to movement because they can be triggered by things like emotional distress or touch as well.

While researchers and medical experts are still unclear as to what is the root cause of this illness, it is believed that, like most autoimmune disorders, this too happens when the healthy body cells are attacked by the immune system over time leading the immunity to fail over time.

The symptoms and cure of the syndrome?

The experience of symptoms is is usually different for everyone. While for some people symptoms can show immediately and worsen with time, for others it can develop within many months or even years to develop. Muscle stiffness, pain across body muscles, and sleep distress are some of the symptoms of the syndrome. According to the National Institute for Neurological Disorders, the syndrome is often misunderstood and therefore cannot be diagnosed properly. The research says that most people with SPS can often be too weak to even walk and can fear moving out of the house as the slightest of noise like the honking of a car or traffic can trigger them to extreme ends.

The study shows how a lot of people diagnosed with the disorder are prone to falls as their defence reflexes often get weaker with time. While there is no cure for SPS, if diagnosed early, it can be managed with the help of practitioners. However, every person suffering from the disorder has an experience different from the others. Post diagnosis, doctors focus more on relieving the symptoms of patients to get them past the chronic pain and help them through movement disabilities, if it happens in any case, for the patient to be able to live without pain for consecutive periods.