Ramsay Hunt syndrome causes Justin Bieber.
Justin Bieber has undergone emergency surgery to fix what doctors have diagnosed as Ramsay Hunt syndrome, the same disease that caused him to cancel his shows in Asia last month. What is Ramsay Hunt syndrome? We’ll take you through the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatments of this rare disease that has caused Bieber’s frequent hospital visits over the past few years.
What is Ramsay Hunt Syndrome
Ramsay Hunt syndrome (also called Ramsay-Hunt syndrome, paroxysmal facial pain, or RHS) is a type of trigeminal neuralgia, which affects a sensory nerve in and around your ear. Trigeminal neuralgia is a condition that affects one of five major cranial nerves. Nerves are bundles of nerve cells that carry information from one part of your body to another. When something goes wrong with these nerves—such as an injury or disease—it can cause pain, numbness, or other sensations in areas served by those nerves. Since each nerve serves different parts of your body—like your face, jaw, eyes, and forehead—diseases can affect each area differently. In Ramsay Hunt syndrome, you may feel stabbing pains behind your ear or on one side of your face. It’s most common for people who suffer from it to experience intense burning pain in their ears, followed by tingling and numbness on their faces. In some cases, people will also feel like they have pins and needles inside their cheeks and jaws. The symptoms usually come on suddenly and last anywhere between two minutes to 30 minutes at a time before going away again. People with Ramsey Hunt syndrome often notice it happens when they’re under stress or after eating spicy foods, although there isn’t any clear reason why some people develop it while others don’t.
How does Ramsay Hunt Syndrome Affect Your Body?
Ramsay Hunt syndrome (RHS) is a rare disorder of peripheral nerves in which multiple cranial and spinal nerves become inflamed. Most commonly, RHS affects cranial nerve VII—the nerve that connects your brain to your facial muscles, hence Ramsay’s paralysis. This results in problems with facial expressions and eye movement, hearing loss, dizziness, vertigo (referring to a spinning sensation), ringing in your ears (tinnitus), and difficulty chewing or swallowing food. In some cases, RHS can also affect other cranial nerves (such as VIII, IX, and X), as well as spinal nerves. The resulting symptoms depend on which nerves are affected. For example, if you experience weakness in your legs because of an RHS-affected spinal nerve, you may feel unsteady when walking or standing up from a seated position.
Who Can Get This Disease
So, Ramsay Hunt Syndrome is not a disease you’re likely to catch from being around Justin Bieber unless he sneezes on you. But it is a disease that primarily affects men (like Justin Bieber). It can also affect people who are over 50. In fact, Ramsey Hunt Syndrome is more common in older adults than in those younger age groups. It occurs when there is inflammation or damage to one or both sides of your facial nerve. The facial nerve controls several muscles used for chewing and smiling and other facial expressions. When it becomes inflamed or damaged, you may experience temporary weakness on one side of your face and drooping eyelids. This condition can cause tingling sensations in your face as well as pain and numbness along your jaw line, which may be followed by muscle weakness or paralysis on one side of your face.
What Happens if You Don’t Treat it Quickly
The good news is that Ramsay Hunt syndrome can be treated quickly and effectively. in many cases If left untreated, though, Ramsay Hunt's disease can cause damage that could result in paralysis and even death. This is because without treatment it takes a week or two for symptoms to develop before victims are admitted to the hospital. However, because of its connection with the facial nerve, if Ramsay Hunt's disease isn’t treated within a couple of weeks then it could lead to permanent facial paralysis or other complications. In fact, Justin Bieber was reportedly diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome after he fell ill during his Believe tour. It’s thought that he has recovered well from his illness thanks to prompt medical attention.
Are There any Red Flags Before Developing the Disease
There are a few simple warning signs before developing Ramsay Hunt syndrome. But remember, every case is different, and it’s possible that many of these signs could be a red flag for another condition entirely. If you notice any of these symptoms—for yourself or someone else—you should seek medical attention immediately: loss of balance or coordination; facial paralysis; vision loss or double vision; ringing in the ears (tinnitus); dizziness. These are all signs of nerve damage, which can occur when your immune system attacks healthy cells. Although Ramsay Hunt syndrome can develop suddenly, there may be some warning signs beforehand. The most common include hearing loss and/or tinnitus (ringing in one or both ears), headache, neck pain or stiffness, nausea and vomiting, fever, and fatigue.
Can it be Treated and Prevented
Yes, Ramsay Hunt syndrome can be treated and prevented. However, if you don’t get treatment in time, there are health issues that can be caused. Let’s start with prevention: The best way to prevent RHS is by getting vaccinated for hepatitis A or hepatitis B. That said, sometimes these vaccines aren’t effective. If you think you might have been exposed to a virus that could cause RHS, your doctor may recommend a vaccine called immune globulin. This shot works similarly to a vaccine but contains antibodies (proteins made by your immune system) from people who already had an infection. Immune globulin shots are also used to treat some autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus because they help suppress your immune system temporarily so it doesn’t attack healthy tissue as much.
