Tampa doctors explain Ramsay Hunt syndrome following Justin Bieber diagnosis
TAMPA, Fla. - Pop singer Justin Bieber shared on social media his diagnosis of Ramsay Hunt syndrome on Friday. He made the announcement in an Instagram video to let his fans know half of his face was paralyzed due to Ramsay Hunt syndrome, and it’s the reason he’s canceling upcoming concerts.
"As you can see, this eye is not blinking. I can’t smile on this side of my face this nostril will not move," said Bieber in the video. "There’s full paralysis on this side of my face. So, for those who are frustrated by my cancellations of the next shows, I’m just physically not capable of doing them."
Dr. Paul Nanda, chief medical officer of Tampa General Hospital Urgent Care, said it’s caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox and shingles.
"It's a reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that gives us chickenpox when we’re younger," said Dr. Nanda. "Not something we see very often, but five cases per 100,000 is also not exceedingly rare either."
Nanda said Ramsay Hunt syndrome can cause ear pain, ear rash and paralyze part of your face just like what’s seen in Bieber’s video.
"I’ll be using this time to just rest and relax and get back to 100% so that I can do what I was born to do. But in the meantime, this ain’t it," Bieber went on to say in his social media post. "I’m gonna get better, and I’m doing all these facial exercises to get my face back to normal, and it will go back to normal. It’s just time. We don’t know how much time it’s going to be, it’s going to be okay."
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Dr. Nanda said catching symptoms early and getting checked out are key.
"They also might think they're having a stroke. So a very good clinical skill exam can help differentiate between Ramsay Hunt, a stroke, Bell's palsy or something else," said Nanda. "As long as you get to a medical professional quickly, I think primary care doctor, urgent care doctor or the E.R. should be able to handle it quickly. "
Bieber is one of several celebrities openly sharing their health struggles. Earlier this year, actor Bruce Willis announced he has aphasia, and attention refocused on actor Jada Pinkett Smith’s alopecia condition.
"Well, I think celebrities, you know, athletes, actors, singers. I think a lot of people see them as these people that are kind of above the regular, normal conditions," said Nanda. "They look perfect every time they leave the house. So I think that's really humanizing for celebrities are in the limelight like this to share what they're going through."
Tampa doctors said stars can put a face to an unfamiliar condition and move others to check their own health.
"I think that one of the good things that social media can do, it can bring light to certain conditions or situations or circumstances that do prompt people to be more aware of it," said Nanda. "And if you're more aware of something, then you're more likely to recognize that if it happens to you or a loved one."