Al-Marsad newspaper – agencies: Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber revealed, on Friday, that doctors diagnosed him with “Ramsay Hunt Syndrome”, which led to his face paralysis and forced him to cancel some concerts to focus on recovery.
Bieber said in a video clip on “Instagram”, that he had “Ramsay Hunt Syndrome”, which affected the nerves in his ear and face.
He noted that his right eye was not blinking, adding: “I can’t smile on this side of my face. This nostril will not move. So there is complete paralysis on this side of my face.”
What is Ramsay Hunt Syndrome?
Ramsay Hunt syndrome, or auricular herpes zoster, arises when shingles, which appears as a rash, affects the facial nerve near one ear.
In addition to the painful rash of shingles, Ramsay Hunt syndrome can cause facial paralysis and hearing loss in the affected ear.
The syndrome is caused by the same virus that causes varicella, or chickenpox.
After the varicella is cured, the virus remains in the nerves, and it may be active again after years, to affect the facial nerves again.
And prompt treatment of “Ramsay Hunt syndrome” can reduce the risk of complications, which may include permanent weakness of the facial muscles and deafness.
Symptoms of the disease
Symptoms of the disease, according to the “Mayo Clinic” medical website, include a painful and red rash, with blisters filled with fluid on, inside or around one of the ears, as well as weakness or paralysis of the face on the same side of the affected ear.
Usually the rash and facial paralysis appear at the same time, but in some cases, one may occur before the other, and the rash may not occur at all in some cases.
Patients with the disease also suffer from ear pain, hearing loss, tinnitus, difficulty closing one eye, dizziness, a change in or loss of taste, and dry mouth and eyes.
Complications of the syndrome include permanent hearing loss and facial weakness, and it may also lead to difficulty closing the eyelids, and thus the possibility of damage to the cornea.
The person with the syndrome can also suffer from neuropathic pain after damaging the nerve fibers, so the messages sent from these fibers become confused and exaggerated, causing pain that may persist for a long time after the other signs and symptoms of the disease have faded.
a rare disease
According to the American National Organization for Rare Disorders, the syndrome is rare and affects about 5 out of every 100,000 people in the United States, and it is often affected by older adults.
To prevent the disease, vaccination against the chickenpox virus reduces the chances of infection, and the shingles vaccine is recommended for people 50 years of age or older, according to the Mayo Clinic.