Around 100 Swiss have the same diagnosis as Céline Dion

A little-known disease has come into the spotlight with a documentary about Céline Dion. According to one expert, the fact that the singer is a famous person with Stiff Person Syndrome is a stroke of luck for the 100 or so people affected in Switzerland. Check out our selection of newsletters. Subscribe here. "A celebrity coming out of the closet is the best thing that can happen for a rare disease. It could help a lot of people," Stephan Rüegg told the Keystone-SDA news agency. Rüegg is a senior physician at the University Hospital Basel and a specialist in stiff person syndrome. "A single person can make an incredible difference," said Bettina Balint. The doctor treats sufferers at the University Hospital Zurich and is, among other things, Chair of the Task Force on Stiff Person Spectrum Disorders of the International Movement Disorder Society. Stiff Person Syndrome is an autoimmune disease. The body's immune system attacks an enzyme that plays a crucial role in muscle tension ...