Céline Dion: what is stiff person syndrome, which made the singer lose control of her muscles

Céline Dion “has no control over her muscles,” her sister said, due to stiff person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder with features of an autoimmune disease.

In an interview with the Canadian website 7 Jours, Claudette Dion said that Céline “works hard” to combat the disease, but the future of her singing career is uncertain.

“In our dreams and in hers, the idea is to return to the stage. In what state? I don’t know.”

Claudette Dion added that many people have contacted the French-Canadian singer’s foundation to offer support: “People tell us they love her and pray for her. She receives so many messages, gifts, blessed crucifixes.”

Céline Dion, 55, had been suffering from uncontrollable muscle spasms and, in January last year, canceled her tour dates due to her worsening condition.

In December, he revealed the diagnosis to his fans in a video on his Instagram.

“I have been dealing with health issues for a long time and it has been very difficult for me to face these challenges… Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing like I’m used to”, he said.

In May of this year, as the illness persisted, she canceled all future tour dates, saying: “I’m working really hard to get my strength back, but touring can be very difficult even when you’re 100%… I want you all to know, will not give up.”

But what is stiff person syndrome?

MUSCLE RIGIDITY

First diagnosed in 1956, stiff person syndrome, previously called “stiff man syndrome”, is a neurological condition that affects the central nervous system and causes neuromuscular changes.

“The disease has an autoimmune nature, that is, it causes some of the body’s own cells to attack other healthy cells,” said Gustavo Franklin, neurologist at Hospital Marcelino Champagnat, in an interview with BBC News Brasil in December 2022.

“An antibody called anti-GAD is typically related to this autoimmunity process. It attacks some nerve structures leading to the characteristic symptoms.”

The signs, according to the doctor, are mainly muscle stiffness, which can vary in intensity and frequency, which usually makes a correct diagnosis difficult.

The patient may have painful spasms in the limbs such as arms and legs and also in the spine.

“Having this syndrome increases the person’s chance of having other autoimmune diseases, such as diabetes mellitus”, says Franklin.

Although the syndrome in the past had “man” in its name, the neurologist states that it is more common in women over 40 years of age.

The diagnosis that confirms the condition is made through a neurophysiological examination called electroneuromyography, by observing the symptoms and also by analyzing the CSF for GAD antibodies.

THERE IS NO CURE, BUT THERE IS TREATMENT

There is no cure, but according to the neurologist there are treatments that, in some cases, work so well that the patient is considered to be in remission.

“Treatment involves immunosuppressant medications and symptom-relieving medications, such as muscle relaxants.”

Autoimmunity, explains the specialist, can be primary (genetically caused) or secondary, as is the case in around 1% of patients with the condition.

“These rarer cases are called paraneoplastic syndrome, which indicates that the autoimmune disease may be parallel to the presence of a tumor. It is not at all common, but every time we diagnose stiff person syndrome we must evaluate the possibility of concomitant tumors” , Franklin added.

This text was originally published here.