Stiff-person syndrome

The singer repeatedly postponed performances in the past year because of severe muscle spasms. In a tearful Instagram post, she revealed she has been ...

THURSDAY, Dec. 8, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Singer Celine Dion announced Thursday that she is living with a rare neurological condition called stiff-person ...

"Unfortunately, the 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 ...

“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 ...

“This means a lot to me,” Dion concluded her message tearfully. “This is my focus.” “But I have to admit it’s been a struggle.” “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 the way I’m used to.” “Spasms can generate enough force to fracture bone.” “I miss seeing all of you, being on the stage, performing for you.

Céline Dion Has Stiff-Person Syndrome. Here's What To Know About The Extremely Rare Disease. “I have no choice but to concentrate on my health at this moment, ...

Celine Dion's diagnosis with stiff-person syndrome has called attention to the rare disorder, which causes muscle spams and rigidity in the torso and limbs.

Stiff person syndrome is a rare neurological condition that can take years to diagnose and tailor treatment.

Dr. Scott Newsom, director of the Stiff-Person Syndrome Center at Johns Hopkins, explains the rare condition keeping Celine Dion off the stage.

Just as there’s no definitely-known cause for SPS, there’s also no definitive cure — though Newsome hopes that by identifying “the main start of the disease within the immune system, we can then develop more targeted treatments.” Still, there are ways to treat SPS and alleviate symptoms, with Newsome suggesting a multi-faceted approach is ideal. Even still, Newsome calls it a “non-biased condition,” saying he’s seen it pop up in young children, as well as people in their 70s and 80s. Blood tests can be done, and there is an antibody (GAD65) that frequently shows up in people with SPS; but even that’s only a tell if GAD65 antibody levels are extremely high and appear in the right clinical context. MRIs, CAT scans, and lumbar punctures can be useful in diagnosing SPS too, as well as electromyography (EMG) studies to examine how the muscles are behaving. People can live with this disease.” We can see that on an EMG.” [her Las Vegas residency](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/resorts-world-vegas-residency-celine-dion-katy-perry-1167437/) last fall, she cited “severe and persistent muscle spasms.” The same issue forced her to cancel her North American tour in Jan. It’s a really difficult and disabling disease.” (Dion did not say whether she was experiencing such triggered spasms, though as a musician, she is frequently surrounded by loud noises.) The classic symptoms described then — and which remain prevalent today — are muscular-skeletal, spanning from spasms to a fixed spine curvature deformity called hyperlordosis. There’s even partial SPS, where symptoms might be experienced in just a single limb. She pushed her 2022 tour to 2023, and then on Thursday [announced that those European dates](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/celine-dion-stiff-person-syndrome-diagnosis-postpones-spring-2023-tour-1234643733/) would have to be postponed too due to an exceptionally rare neurological condition called stiff-person syndrome. “And they can be continuous for minutes to hours.

Celine Dion canceled her upcoming tour after being diagnosed with this rare neurological condition. Here's what we know.

Because of how rare it is, stiff person syndrome is typically diagnosed by first ruling out other, more common conditions. The treatment for the condition is often a patchwork of medication and non-medication interventions, Dr. Diagnosing the condition takes a combination of tools, Dr. The rigidity and spasming can be treated with muscle relaxers and Botox injections. The presence of the chronic pain can also lead some patients to [develop anxiety](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11940-009-0013-9), depression and [phobias](https://n.neurology.org/content/64/11/1961.short) of going outside or trying new activities. There is no cure for stiff person syndrome, so doctors focus on symptom and pain management. The muscle spasms can be triggered by a variety of environmental factors, such as The exact cause of the condition is not clear, but “the immune system is involved,” said Dr. Stiff person syndrome often begins with stiffness in the torso and abdomen, which can then spread to the legs, arms and face, Dr. The syndrome is difficult to diagnose, Dr. [have been tied to](https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/stiff-person-syndrome) a slight increase in risk for developing the syndrome, Dr. It was first coined in the 1920s (as “stiff man syndrome”) after doctors

Maureen Materna, 75, of Rocky River, Ohio has been dealing with stiff-person syndrome for 11 years. The neurological disorder can cause chronic pain, ...

FRIDAY, Dec. 9, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Stiff-person syndrome: Superstar singer Celine Dion announced Thursday that she is living with this rare neurological ...

The rare neurological disease affects about one to two people in a million.

Singer Céline Dion was recently diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder called stiff-person syndrome, which has caused her to experience severe muscle ...

[according to Johns Hopkins Medicine](https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/neurology_neurosurgery/centers_clinics/stiff-person-syndrome/conditions-we-treat.html) (opens in new tab). [immune system](https://www.livescience.com/26579-immune-system.html) inadvertently attacking nerve cells in the [brain](https://www.livescience.com/29365-human-brain.html) and spinal cord. Certain GAD antibodies are also found in people with [type 1 diabetes](https://www.livescience.com/34803-type-1-diabetes-symptoms-treatment-diagnosis.html), in which the immune system attacks insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Dion has now announced that she'll be [postponing her scheduled spring performances](https://www.celinedion.com/news/celine-dion-reschedules-spring-2023-shows-to-2024and-cancels-summer-2023-shows/) (opens in new tab) and canceling her summer shows. [antibodies](https://www.livescience.com/antibodies.html) against GAD, while others with the disorder may carry other antibodies or show other signs of autoimmunity. [Cleveland Clinic](https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/6076-stiff-person-syndrome) (opens in new tab). There's no cure for stiff-person syndrome, so treatments are aimed at relieving symptoms. GABA serves as a brake for muscle-controlling nerve cells, so when there's too little GABA, that brake gets released and the cells can shift into overdrive. Scott Newsome](https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/profiles/details/scott-newsome) (opens in new tab), director of Johns Hopkins' Stiff Person Syndrome Center, [said in an informational video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cm7XMHkp1dI) (opens in new tab). "Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal chords to sing the way I'm used to." These nerve cells would normally help control muscle contractions, so as the nerve cells are progressively destroyed, patients experience spontaneous stiffness in the torso and limbs, as well as sporadic and violent muscle spasms. [Instagram video](https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl5xJY1AjAO/?hl=en) (opens in new tab).

twIn an emotional social-media video posted Dec. 8, singer Celine Dion informed fans that she has been diagnosed with a rare neurological disease called ...

Two years and about 20 doctors later, a neuromuscular specialist finally diagnosed her with stiff person syndrome, based on her symptoms and the fact that Valium was the only intervention that seemed to alleviate some of the pain. While it’s not clear what triggers the syndrome in people who don’t show signs of immune system disorders beforehand, one theory is that stiff person syndrome could be the immune system’s very early response to cancer. She developed a blood clot from the port required for the procedure and couldn’t continue. The monoclonal antibody medication rituximab (Rituxan), which is prescribed to treat certain autoimmune diseases and cancers, can also help. [National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke](https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/stiff-person-syndrome), stiff person syndrome has similarities to autoimmune disease, in which the body’s immune system attacks its own cells. Currently, the treatments for the condition include muscle relaxants and anti-convulsant medications, which can alleviate some of the symptoms of the condition, as well as IV antibody treatments that try to reset the immune system to dial down its attack on the body’s own cells. “The body may be sensing early cancer and generates an immune response to those early cancer cells with antibodies that cross react with the nervous system. “The inhibitory signals become weaker and weaker, and the excitatory signals start to take over, contracting the muscles uncontrollably.” People with the condition often experience muscle spasms in the trunk, arms, or legs and become more sensitive to noise and touch. “To this day when I see doctors for something else and they see that I have stiff person syndrome, I cannot tell you how many [of them] have said, ‘What is that? After a visit to the emergency room, doctors gave her a Valium drip to address the pain, which helped, but she still didn’t know why she was experiencing spasms. “Something in the software goes wrong, and the inhibitory system starts to malfunction,” says Dr. “I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time…we now know this is what’s been causing all of the spasms that I’ve been having,” said Dion, who is 54.