Celine Dion Diagnosed With Stiff Person’s Disease, What Exactly Is It?

Celine Dion has been singing since she was just 5 years old, and she wrote her first song at 12. She has been an iconic voice for decades and now she has to step away from the mic.  Her condition is scary and really rare, so what exactly is it?

Sadly, Celine has been diagnosed with “Stiff Person Syndrome”, a very rare, progressive neurological condition that attacks the muscles in the torso, arms, and legs and creates a sensitivity to noise, and touch and creates a heightened sense of emotions and distress. The patient will experience painful recurring muscle spasms. In Celine’s case, it can make walking difficult as well as using her vocal cords.

Over time people who have SPS may have a hunched-over posture making it hard for them to walk or move. The sensitivity to noises can trigger spasms and falls. There is no known cause but researchers determined that the condition is the result of an autoimmune response gone wrong in the brain and spinal cord.

Stiff Person’s Syndrome or SPS, is often misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s disease or MS. A blood test can help determine if it is SPS. The blood test will be looking at your glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies, which will be much higher in someone with SPS. SPS affects about one in a million people.

Celine finally spoke about her illness with her fans in her Instagram message here.

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A post shared by Céline Dion (@celinedion)

She has postponed her European tour to 2024 while she focuses on her health.  This is heartbreaking for our beloved Celine.  She says,

"All I know is singing, it is what I've done all my life and it's what I love to do the most."

We love hearing you, Celine! I will be praying for you and for a cure.