Canadian singer Justin Bieber revealed on his social networks that he suffers from facial paralysis caused by Ramsay Hunt syndrome.
“As you can see, this eye is not blinking. I can’t smile on this side of my face, so I have complete paralysis on this side of my face,” he said, showing his 240 million Instagram followers how the right side of his face did not move.
“It’s because of this virus that attacks my ear nerve and my facial nerves and has caused my face to be paralyzed,” the singer said in the three-minute video.
Syndrome
Ramsay Hunt syndrome “occurs when an outbreak of shingles affects the facial nerve near the ears,” explains the Mayo Clinic healthcare portal.
It is caused by the same virus as chickenpox. In addition to the painful rash of shingles, Ramsay Hunt syndrome can cause facial paralysis and hearing loss in the affected ear.
“After the chickenpox goes away, the virus still lives in the nerves. Years later, it can reactivate,” he adds.
The symptoms
The main symptoms are a painful red rash with fluid-filled blisters in and around the ear, and weakness or facial paralysis on the same side of the affected ear, details the Mayo Clinic.
The patient may have ear pain, hearing loss or ringing in the ears (tinnitus), difficulty closing one eye, vertigo, changes in taste perception or loss of taste, and dry mouth and eyes.
The symptoms are usually temporary in most cases, but can become permanent.
Patients’ inability to close an eyelid can also cause eye pain and blurred vision, the organization says, adding that it is more common in people over the age of 60.
The disease is treated with antiviral drugs, corticosteroids and pain relievers, indicates the Mayo Clinic.
postpone their concerts
Earlier this week, the singer’s team announced it was postponing three shows on the Justice world tour, which began in February.
He asked his fans to be patient and assured that he is physically not capable of doing his next shows.
“This is pretty serious, as you can see. I wish it wasn’t, but obviously my body is telling me to slow down,” he added.
“I hope you understand. I will use this time to rest and relax and get back to one hundred percent so I can do what I was born to do.”
Bieber added that he has been doing facial exercises to “get back to normal,” but he doesn’t know how long it will take to recover.
He was due to play in Washington and Toronto earlier this week, with concerts also planned in New York and Los Angeles in the coming days.
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BBC-NEWS-SRC: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-61767130, IMPORTING DATE: 2022-06-11 01:30:06