(NEXSTAR) – During the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Celine Dion will perform a song from the top of the Eiffel Tower for the first time since revealing her diagnosis with a rare disease called Stiff Person Syndrome.
The legendary Canadian singer revealed that he has been diagnosed with the neurological disease and will be taking a break from performing in 2022. According to the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the condition affects one to two people in every million.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the disease “causes fluctuating muscle stiffness in the trunk and limbs and increased sensitivity to stimuli such as noise, touch, and emotional stress, which can lead to muscle spasms.”
People with stiff-person syndrome often have a hunched back and stiff posture, which can make walking and moving difficult. Some people may be “afraid to leave the house because street noises, such as honking car horns, can trigger a seizure or fall.”NINDS explains.
People with stiff person syndrome do not have “normal protective reflexes” so they fall more often and can injure themselves easily.
Announcing her diagnosis, Dion said she had been experiencing seizures for a long time which had affected “every aspect” of her life, making it difficult for her to even walk or sing.
Since then, Dion has taken a break from performing. TODAY ReportShe has made several public appearances with him, including at the 2024 Grammy Awards. Discovered in Paris With the Olympics approaching, rumors have started to fly.
The cause of stiff-person syndrome is still unknown, but research suggests it may be an autoimmune disease of the brain and spinal cord.
According to the NINDS, the rare condition is often misdiagnosed as other illnesses, such as Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis.
It can be treated with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg), muscle relaxants, and painkillers, but there is no known cure.
