Explained: What is Ramsay Hunt Syndrome that Justin Bieber is suffering from?
He had to cancel his Justice World Tour in North America which he was supposed to perform in Toronto, Washington DC, and New York.
New Delhi: The world-renowned pop singer, Justin Bieber announced on Friday that he will be taking a break from his performance owing to his partial facial paralysis caused by Ramsay Hunt Syndrome. The 28-year-old singer took to Instagram to explain what the disease is all about.
Justin Bieber shared a video where he stated that Ramsay Hunt Syndrome has left him unable to move half of his face which is why he will be unable to perform on stage for some time now, until his recovery. He had to cancel his Justice World Tour in North America which he was supposed to perform in Toronto, Washington DC, and New York.
In the video, he stated, “It is from this virus that attacks the nerve in my ear and my facial nerves and has caused my face to have paralysis.” He further added, “As you can see this eye is not blinking. I can’t smile on this side of my face; this nostril will not move. So there’s full paralysis on this side of my face.”
See the video here:
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What is Ramsay Hunt Syndrome?
The syndrome is marked by a painful rash around the ear, on the face, or the lips. According to the Mount Sinai organisation, this occurs when the varicella-zoster virus infects a nerve in the head. Moreover, the varicella-zoster virus is known to cause chicken pox and shingles.
People suffering from this syndrome can infect the facial nerve near the inner ear. This causes irritation and swelling. Adults are mostly prone to this syndrome, in children it is a rare case.
What are its symptoms?
- As per the report by Mount Sinai, the symptoms are:
- Severe pain in the ear
- Painful rash on the eardrum, ear canal, earlobe, tongue, and roof of the mouth on the side with the affected nerve.
- Hearing loss on one side.
- A sensation of things spinning (vertigo).
- Weakness on one side of the face that causes difficulty closing one eye, eating (food falls out of the weak corner of the mouth), making expressions, and making fine movements of the face, as well as facial droop and paralysis on one side of the face.
Diagnosis and Treatment
To diagnose Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, blood tests for the varicella-zoster virus, an MRI of the head, and some skin tests are needed. Besides, doctors can also conduct a spinal tap which includes pricking the spinal canal with a needle to collect cerebrospinal fluid for testing.
Patients are also given anti-inflammatory and antiviral medications as treatment. They are advised to wear eye patches to prevent corneal damage.