Pop star Justin Bieber announced that his face is partially paralyzed by a viral condition called Ramsay Hunt syndrome, caused by the same virus, varicella-zoster, which causes chickenpox and herpes.
Justin told fans in a YouTube video on Friday that the virus had attacked "the nerve in my ear, the facial nerves and caused paralysis in the face. You can see that this eye does not pulse. I can not smile on this side of "The nostril does not move."
Ramsay Hunt syndrome is a rare neurological disorder that occurs when the varicella-zoster virus infects a nerve in the head near the inner ear. After childhood chickenpox or herpes as an adult, the virus can remain dormant in the body. The reasons why the virus reactivates and produces Ramsay Hunt symptoms are not known.
Symptoms can include painful redness inside and outside the ear canal, sometimes attacking the tongue and mouth, according to the Icahn School of Medicine. Due to the involvement of the inner ear, people with this condition may also have dizziness or ringing in the ears.
Ramsay Hunt Syndrome can also cause hearing loss on the side of the affected face. Like Bieber, it can also cause weakness, drooping of the face or paralysis on the side of the face that has been attacked by the virus. This can cause difficulty in closing one eye, making facial expressions and difficulty in eating.
Treatment consists of steroids such as prednisone to reduce inflammation and pain. Later, antiviral medications may be added to help treat the symptoms. Bierber assured fans that he was "going to improve" and that he was doing "facial exercises to get his face back to normal".
Complete cure is not safe. However, some people recover within a few months. The earlier it is caught the greater the chances of recovery.
