Celine Dion surprised millions by closing out the Grammys on Sunday by presenting Taylor Swift with the coveted Album of the Year award, amid her private battle with the rare disease rigid person syndrome.
The Canadian pop superstar, 55, made her first appearance on stage in three years and looked as healthy as ever in an ivory dress and camel coat, telling adoring stars: “I’ll love you right back.”
The singer revealed in 2022 that she suffered from the condition: a degenerative neurological and autoimmune disease condition that causes severe muscle cramps and is thought to affect only one in a million people.
Doctors think it is caused by a a defect in the immune system that causes the body’s fighter cells to attack its own nerves, leading to serious movement problems in the trunk and legs, as well as bone fractures.
Fans took to social media to express their shock at the singer’s apparently healthy appearance, given Dion’s sister’s recent stories that she had “lost control of her muscles.”
However, according to expert opinion, it is likely that a mixture of medications and specialist exercises are to thank for her bright eyes.
The Canadian superstar, 55, looked healthy and happy at the Grammys on Sunday, amid her private battle with stiff person syndrome
Although there is no known cure for stiff person syndrome, symptoms can be controlled with certain medications, including immunosuppressants, steroids, muscle relaxants, and sedatives.
And according to previous reports, Dion may benefit from specialized physiotherapy to improve her muscle strength thanks to her sports medicine therapist.
She is also said to be working with “the world’s best researchers” on the condition.
When treating a person with SPS, doctors typically treat both the symptoms and the underlying immune system problem.
Dr. Steven Vernino, a neurologist who treats autoimmune neurological disorders at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Texas, said: ‘The treatment of SPS focuses on controlling symptoms, reducing pain and improving mobility. Neurologists usually start by prescribing muscle relaxants.
‘SPS sometimes requires very high doses of muscle relaxants.’
The first line of treatment is with a low dose of an anti-anxiety drug called diazepam. It falls within the class of drugs known as benzodiazepines, which are often used as muscle relaxants.
Doctors may also add a medication that stops seizures, such as levetiracetam or pregabalin.
Most people with SPS have specific antibodies in their blood that disrupt the functioning of the so-called neurotransmitter GABA, which leads to over-excitable motor neurons and ultimately muscle spasms and stiffness.
GABA is essential for dampening the activity of nerve cells and, especially in cases of ‘stiff person’ syndrome, for regulating muscle tone and movement.
Benzodiazepines work by binding to specific receptors that help enhance the action of GABA.
Ms Dion publicly discussed her diagnosis in 2022, telling fans that SPS had forced her to cancel tour dates
Doctors will typically turn to immunotherapies purpose to protect the body from his own immune system.
Dr. Vernino said, “Some patients do well with muscle relaxants alone. For more severe cases, patients may require immunotherapy or immunosuppressive medications to reduce GAD antibodies.”
For example, the cancer drug Rituximab is an injectable monoclonal antibody that targets immune cells to modulate the body’s immune response.
The treatment is most commonly used for a type of blood cancer called non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Azathioprine, methotrexate, and cyclophosphamide are other drugs used to target the autoimmune side of the disease and dampen the activity of the immune system.
And there are several non-pharmacological therapies that can help.
Dr. Marinos Dalakas, a neurologist at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, said: ‘Although not always necessary, desired or tolerated, selective physical therapy (such as aqua therapy, deep tissue massage, heat or ultrasound therapy) may provide benefits for some patients. at different stages of the disease.
‘A few patients pursue a number of non-pharmacological stress release techniques, including cognitive/behavioral therapies, yoga or mediation, but the benefits are not documented and the choice of such therapies is completely individualized and pursued independently.’