In a video posted this Friday, June 10, Justin Bieber announced that he suffered from facial paralysis due to a disease called Ramsay Hunt syndrome. But where does this disease come from?
hard blow for Justin Bieber. In the middle of a world tour, the Canadian singer was forced to cancel the rest of his shows due to a rare disease. Indeed, the 28-year-old artist has contracted the syndrome de Ramsay Hunt, a pathology that caused him paralysis of the face. “I have this syndrome called Ramsay Hunt, it comes from a virus that attacks the nerves of my ear and my face”revealed Justin Bieber in a video published this Friday, June 10. “I can’t smile from this side, part of my face is paralyzed“, he added. If this disease is unknown to the general public, it nevertheless has much more popular cousins. The infection from which the singer suffers is linked to a virus called varicella zosterwhich is also responsible for the two pathologies of the same name.
Also called herpes zoster oticus, the disease is considered rare as it only affects five out of a hundred thousand people. More concretely, it is“Auricular shingles associated with peripheral facial nerve palsy, often accompanied by other cranial nerve damage“, explained the site Orpha.net, specializing in rare diseases and orphan drugs. In parallel with facial paralysis, the pathology can also cause slurred speech and dizziness. And Justin Bieber seems to be subject to it. In his video, the Canadian singer spoke slowly, with difficulty and announced that he was unable to sing.
Ramsay Hunt syndrome: a reactivation of chickenpox
But how could Justin Bieber have been infected with this virus? It’s simple, it’s just a question of a chickenpox reactivation. “After a chickenpox infection, the virus can remain in the body and remain inactive for years“detailed Dr. Babak Azizzadeh, director of the Facial Paralysis Institute in Los Angeles, at the Wall Street Journal, before adding: “In a small percentage of people, the virus can be reactivated. Most of the time it is reactivated and people get shingles. But in some people, it’s the Ramsay Hunt syndrome that occurs.” Regarding the treatment, the specialist mentioned a “high dose of steroids for 10-14 days“, which can be supplemented with antiviral drugs and corticosteroids.
Article written in collaboration with 6Medias.
Photo credits: Agency / Bestimage
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