Ashton Kutcher has spoken openly about his battle with a rare autoimmune disease that affects his hearing, vision and ability to walk.
Kutcher, who is described as having vasculitis, first revealed he had the condition a few months ago during an episode of National Geographic’s “Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge.”
At the time, the former Punk’d host – who is married to Mila Kunis – told Grylls that the condition had suddenly surfaced in recent years and that he had been secretly battling it for almost a year and that he had even been robbed of the ability to go.
On Monday, Kutcher offered new insight, describing debilitating symptoms that were interfering with his life while at one point sharing an emotional moment with his twin brother Michael, who was born with cerebral palsy.
Vasculitis is inflammation of the blood vessels that can cause organ and tissue damage.
Kutcher’s flare-ups, which wore off about two years ago, also caused the star to temporarily lose his sight.
The interview, which was used for Paramount+’s The Checkup with Dr. David Agus will be broadcast on Tuesday.
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Ashton Kutcher has opened up about his battle with a rare autoimmune disease that affects his hearing, vision and ability to walk – he opened up about the condition in an emotional interview for the first time for an interview that will be streamed Tuesday on Paramount+
In a clip released ahead of the sit-down, Kutcher, now 44, told Agus he one day contracted the disease, which is thought to be a disorder of the body’s immune system
In a clip released ahead of the expected sit-down, Kutcher, now 44, recounted how one day he was suddenly struck down with what is believed to be a disorder of the body’s immune system.
“I woke up one day and had vision problems [and] could barely see,” said the actor, best known for his spots on That ’70s Show and Dude, Where’s My Car? famous, to Agus, who describes himself as one of the world’s leading physicians and biomedical researchers.
“It disabled my hearing, which affected my balance and balance, and I couldn’t walk,” Kutcher revealed. “I had vasculitis – you are well aware of that.”
The actor, who has a boy and girl with Kunis, ages six and eight, has displayed scary symptoms that are even considered rare, such as: B. Temporary vision loss – all in addition to the hearing loss mentioned above.
“There’s a standard that you get used to in your life, like being able to see clearly,” Kutcher recalled, describing how his life was temporarily uprooted by the disease. “And then suddenly you can’t see anything anymore.”
The disease, which affects fewer than 200,000 Americans each year, would eventually resolve, but not after the earlier model was left mostly bedridden “like a year.”
Kutcher added that he has a “super rare form” of the disease, which in most cases goes away after a few weeks or months once the first symptoms are felt.
Later in the episode — which has yet to be released — Kutcher sat down with his rarely seen twin brother, Michael, who has cerebral palsy. Both brothers shed tears at the emotional sit-down and marks the couple’s first-ever interview together
To make matters worse, the disease often goes undetected due to the nondescript nature of its initial symptoms — which include fatigue, fever, and weight loss — which often apply to so many ailments that doctors do not immediately suspect the disease.
He told Gryllis, 48, last month about his previously unknown struggles: “You want to get back the health you once had.”
Later in the episode — which has yet to be released — Kutcher sat down with his rarely seen brother to conduct the couple’s first interview together.
Michael, also 44, was born with cerebral palsy and underwent a life-saving heart transplant at the age of 13.
In a short clip, the actor can be seen describing the moment his brother’s heart broke in the hospital with tears in his eyes as he put his hand on Michael’s knee.
His twin responds with his own gesture of comfort, grabbing Kutcher’s hand as he wipes away tears.
“So my dad comes and picks me up and it’s like we’re going to visit your brother and I’m like … everything’s wrong,” Kutcher recalled, clearly emotional. “And he flatlines in space.
The former Punk’d host – who is married to Mila Kunis – said the disease surfaced suddenly three years ago and he had been secretly battling it for almost a year. The pair are pictured at this year’s Academy Awards in March
“And I know that sound because now I occasionally visit and watch the thing go and then it goes flat.
“And they grab me and they take me out and I’m like what the hell is going on [on]?’
The gathering comes nearly 20 years after Kutcher first disclosed his brother’s cerebral palsy diagnoses in 2003, which reportedly angered Michael at the time.
The brothers have since been spotted together on the red carpet and other occasional events attended by Kutcher, who lives in Beverly Hills with his wife and children.
Kutcher said he first felt the symptoms three years ago and eventually became aware of the condition, which usually resolves on its own but can be treated with steroid therapy in severe cases.
The brothers have since been spotted together on the red carpet and other occasional events attended by Kutcher, who lives in Beverly Hills with his wife and children
It has taken him about a year to recover, he has since said, claiming he feels “lucky to be alive”. It’s not immediately clear if the actor sought treatment or fought off the illness on his own.
Although it almost never happens, vasculitis — which occurs when the body’s immune system attacks veins, arteries, and small capillaries — can prove deadly, as in the case of late Caddyshack director and Ghostbusters actor Harold Ramis, who died in 2016 aged 69 after a four-year battle with the disease.
Deaths occur when inflammation narrows people’s blood vessels, restricting — or even stopping — blood flow, leading to organ damage or aneurysms, according to the National Institutes of Health.
If this aneurysm ruptures, internal bleeding can occur — a serious event that can lead to death.
Depending on the specific type and severity of the condition — and which organs the body’s wayward white blood vessels and antibodies are targeting — symptoms of vasculitis vary in severity. Some cases last weeks, others years.
The type and severity of the disease are classified based on the size of the affected blood vessels. Based on Kutcher’s symptoms, it was likely that he had either Behçet’s disease or Kawasaki disease, both of which affect medium-sized blood vessels.
Both can be treated with over-the-counter drugs, but sometimes require doctors to prescribe steroids or additional antibodies.
Still, Kutcher didn’t let the illness get him down — and even ran the New York City Marathon last month. He claims he’s grateful to be alive and has since found a new lease of life.
The interview will stream Tuesday on Paramount+.
The condition that may have cost Ashton Kutcher his sight: what is vasculitis and how is it treated?
- Vasculitis, sometimes referred to as angiitis or arteritis, are conditions that cause a person’s blood vessels to become inflamed
- Nearly 230,000 Americans suffer from some form of vasculitis
- There are a few possible causes, including an autoimmune condition, allergic reactions, or some type of infection
- Types of vasculitis are divided into three categories, large, medium and small. The distinction is based on the size of the inflamed vessels
- Typical symptoms are fever, fatigue, muscle pain and severe weight loss
- In the most severe cases, an aneurysm or even a blood vessel can burst. Both cases can prove fatal
- It can also lead to tissue death when a vessel becomes so inflamed that it blocks blood flow to a part of the body
- In some cases, the vasculitis resolves on its own
- Common treatments include steroid therapy, which fights inflammation
Source: WebMD and The Vasculitis Foundation