This Friday, June 10, 2022, singer Justin Bieber announced that he was taking a break from his career after being diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome.
Ramsay Hunt syndrome: what is it exactly? This rare disease affects people who have already been infected with the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) during their lifetime: it is therefore a viral reactivation. The varicella-zoster virus attacks the facial nerve and, in particular, the sensory ganglion cells that compose it.
A viral disease that can cause facial paralysis
Reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus generally occurs in a context of immune weakness: physical and/or emotional stress, aftermath of organ or bone marrow transplant, HIV infection, etc.
Ramsay Hunt syndrome: how does it manifest? Symptoms of Ramsay Hunt syndrome (also known as “herpes zoster oticus” in medical parlance) include pain in one ear (otalgia), a red rash and/or blisters in and around the ear. affected ear (sometimes also around the mouth and/or tongue), hearing loss in the affected ear (hypoacusis), facial paralysis (with difficulty closing one eye, for example), fever ( more or less important), buzzing in the affected ear (tinnitus)…
Ramsay Hunt syndrome: how is it treated? Ramsay Hunt syndrome is treated with medication: it generally combines acyclovir and hydrocortisone. However, this pathology remains of less good prognosis than Bell’s palsy.
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