Stiff Person Syndrome (SPR), or Stiff Person Syndrome, afflicted by Canadian star Celine Dion, is a rare neurological condition characterized by progressive muscle stiffness and repeated episodes of painful muscle spasms.
• Also read: Celine Dion suffers from a rare neurological condition
According to Orphanet, the portal for rare diseases and medicines for orphans, the peak incidence is around age 45, and symptoms develop over months or years.
Muscle stiffness often fluctuates (meaning it gets worse then better) and usually occurs at the same time as muscle spasms.
These spasms can occur randomly or be triggered by a variety of different events, including sudden noises or light physical touch.
Left untreated, RPS can potentially lead to impaired walking and significantly impair a person’s ability to perform everyday routine tasks.
Although the exact cause of this syndrome is unknown, it is believed to be an autoimmune disease that sometimes coexists with other autoimmune diseases.
The diagnosis is essentially based on clinical observation and is confirmed by the detection of certain characteristic antibodies and electromyographic abnormalities (an essential study of neurological diseases, ed.).
A CT scan of the spinal cord can help rule out mechanical causes, such as the presence of a herniated disc or a cyst in the spinal cord.
The first cases were documented in 1956. Stiff person syndrome has been described under many different names in the medical literature. Originally called stiff man syndrome, the name was changed because the disorder can affect people of all ages and both sexes. In fact, most people with the disease are women.
It’s an extremely rare disease. According to the American organization NORD, which aims to support people with rare diseases, the incidence is around 1 person in a million.
Treatment is aimed at relieving the specific symptoms experienced by each person, which often requires non-drug approaches (stretching, thermotherapy, aquatherapy, massage therapy, acupuncture, etc.).
Certain medications can also be used to treat muscle stiffness and episodic spasms.