Celine Dion had to cancel his employment plans for 2023 due to a health problem. The 54-year-old Canadian singer was diagnosed with stiff person syndrome (RPS)in English Stiff person syndromea rare neurological disease which he decided to talk about on his social networks.

This Thursday, December 8, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of his song my heart Will Go Onfrom the soundtrack of titanicCeline Dion posted a video on Instagram to publicize the diagnosis and the need to cancel his tour in Europe scheduled for 2023.

“I was recently diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder that affects one in a million people. We’re still learning about this rare disease, but now we know it’s what caused all the spasms I’ve had,” the artist explains in the video, explaining that the spasms affect every aspect of his body. “Sometimes they even prevent me from walking and they don’t allow me to use my vocal cords like before,” he adds.

Celine Dion says in the video that she is working very hard with a medical team to get back on stage. “All I know how to do, what I have done in my life and what I love the most is sing”admits the singer.

What is stiff person syndrome?

Stiff person syndrome is a disorder of the central nervous system which, according to the Mayo Clinic, characterized by progressive and intense muscle stiffness or numbness. It mainly affects the spine and legs and can also cause painful muscle spasms.

“It is often associated with muscle spasms, which can be quite severe. These can cause falls, severe pain and significant disability,” says Dr. Emile Sami Moukheiber of Johns Hopkins Medicine’s Stiff Person Syndrome Center at an interview with CNN. “Falls due to severe spasms are very common. These spasms can be precipitated by startles, strong emotions, cold“, adds the expert.

According to this expert, it is common for people with stiff person syndrome to also suffer from anxiety“and that anxiety actually feeds on the physical ailments of illness that people may have.”

A complicated diagnosis

Celine Dion says in her video that she was “dealing with health problems for a long time”, and the truth is that all these problems could be related to this disease.

The stiffness syndrome, with the characteristics of an autoimmune disease, is long to diagnose because of its rarity and the ambiguity of its symptoms. CNN reports that sufferers often seek care for chronic pain before receiving neurological care and its diagnosis takes about seven years.

Stiffness Syndrome affects one million people worldwide and most neurologists encounter one or two cases during their professional career. Although the first case was diagnosed in a man in 1950, it is known that It affects twice as many women as men.

There is no specific cure or treatment for RMS, but medications can relieve symptoms. “If left untreated, the disease can lead to serious disturbances in daily life”points out Moukheiber of the Stiff Person Syndrome Center, who points out that with treatment, the person can improve.