Ramsey Hunt syndrome: Here’s what we know about Justin Bieber’s diagnosis
Global News
About 75 per cent of patients with Ramsey Hunt syndrome who receive early treatment are expected to make a full recovery, one expert said.
Earlier this week, 28-year-old Canadian musician, Justin Bieber, announced to the world that he is suffering from a rare syndrome that causes partial facial paralysis.
“I have this syndrome called Ramsay Hunt syndrome. As you can see this eye is not blinking. I can’t smile on this side of my face. This nostril will not move,” he said in an Instagram video that has garnered over seven million likes. “I wish this wasn’t the case but obviously my body is telling me I’ve got to slow down.”
In order to “get back to 100 per cent,” the two-time Grammy award winner has postponed the next few concerts of his tour to recover.
“I’m going to get better,” he said. “I have hope.”
Ramsay Hunt syndrome occurs from the reactivation of a viral infection, according to Dr. Charles Nduka, a consultant plastic, reconstructive and cosmetic surgeon in Brighton, England.
“Many people will have heard of chicken pox and chicken pox can cause a reactivation of the virus in the form of shingles which is a rash that will form upon the body,” he said in an interview with Reuters. “If that rash occurs near the facial nerve, it can cause a sudden onset of facial paralysis, often linked with some pain around or behind the ear.”
People who develop Ramsay Hunt syndrome usually have another issue going on at the same time that causes their immune system to be suppressed, according to Dr. Nduka, who is also the co-founder of health charity Facial Palsy UK.
Patients with the syndrome will often notice their eye become dry and the inability to keep fluid in their mouth.
