Everything You Need To Know About Celine Dion’s Neurological Disorder, SPS

International pop singer Celine Dion revealed this week that she is sick due to a rare neurological disorder called Stiff-person syndrome (SPS). As a result of the diagnosis and subsequent loss of muscle function, Dion announced publicly that she would need to cancel the European legs of her current world tour.

According to Dion, the disorder has caused significant setbacks to her neurology, and she feels like she can’t currently give “100 percent” of herself to her singing.

“As you know, I’ve always been an open book,” she said. “And I wasn’t ready to say anything before – but I’m ready now. I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time. And it’s been really difficult for me to face these challenges and talk about everything that I’ve been going through.

“I miss you so much; I miss seeing all of you – being on the stage, performing for you. I always give 100 percent when I do my shows,” she continued. “But my condition is not allowing me to give you that right now. For me to reach you again, I have no choice but to concentrate on my health at this moment. And I have hope that I’m on the road to recovery. This is my focus. And I’m doing everything that I can to recuperate.”

Is Celine Dion’s illness treatable?

Stiff-person syndrome (SPS) is a rare neurological disorder characterized by progressive muscle stiffness and episodes of repeated, painful muscle spasms. Muscular stiffness often fluctuates grows worse and then improves over the course of the disorder; muscle spasms are also common for sufferers of SPS.

Spasms may occur randomly, but they’re often triggered by stimuli like a sudden noise or light physical contact — not exactly conducive to performing pop concerts.

The severity and progression of SPS varies from one person to another, but luckily the symptoms do not extend much beyond muscle stiffness and spasms. SPS can eventually cause difficulty walking or significantly impact daily routines and daily tasks like bathing, stretching, and cleaning.

The exact cause of SPS is unknown, though it has been on certain side effect lists for various medications and vaccines. It is an autoimmune disorder, which is caused when the body’s natural defenses (e.g., antibodies) against “foreign” or invading organisms begin to attack healthy tissue for unknown reasons. If left untreated, SPS can progress to cause significant disability or life-threatening complications such as respiratory compromise or deterioration of cranial nerves (which are responsible for many motor functions like facial movement, tongue movement, or eye movement).

“While we’re still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what has been causing all of the spasms I’ve been having. Unfortunately these spasms effect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I’m used to,” Dion told her fans via an Instagram video.