Does stiff person syndrome affect speech?

Following Celine Dion’s announcement on Thursday, Nov. 8 of being diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome (SOS), there has been great interest from the public in knowing what the ailment is.

According to the The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS), is a rare, progressive neurological disorder.

Its symptoms includes stiff muscles in the trunk (torso), arms, and legs; and greater sensitivity to noise, touch, and emotional distress, with the tendency of sparking muscle spasms.

SPS affects free speech due to spasms in the neck and it explains why Celine Dion had to postpone her much awaited concert.

In a post on Instagram, the legendary singer revealed that the spasms she suffers have affected “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.”

Though the exact cause of SPS is not known, some studies in the medical literature indicate that it may be an autoimmune disorder caused when the body’s natural defenses (e.g., antibodies) against “foreign” or invading organisms begin to attack healthy tissue for unknown reasons.