席琳·迪翁不幸确诊僵人综合征

近日，席琳·迪翁（Celine Dion）在社交媒体上发布视频，哽咽透露自己患上了罕见的神经系统疾病「僵人综合征」。

🤔️小作业：

无注释原文：

What is stiff-person syndrome? Celine Dion reveals rare condition.

From: The Washington Post

Celine Dion announced that she was diagnosed with a rare and incurable neurological condition known as stiff-person syndrome, and that she will cancel or postpone dozens of shows in her “Courage World Tour.”

In an emotional, five-minute Instagram video posted Thursday, Dion, 54, told fans: “I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time, and it’s been really difficult for me to face these challenges and to talk about everything that I’ve been going through.”

What is stiff-person syndrome? We spoke with neurologists and a pain specialist to answer common questions about the unusual disorder, including how it’s diagnosed and whether it affects longevity.

What is stiff-person syndrome?

Stiff-person syndrome (SPS) is a rare, chronic neurological disorder that causes muscle stiffness and sometimes intense muscle spasms in the trunk and limbs, affecting posture, balance and the ability to use certain muscles. It usually has an autoimmune component and, in some cases, it can be progressive and painful, experts say.

Andrew McKeon, professor of neurology at the Mayo Clinic, said SPS affects nerves in the spinal cord and neurons in the brain that regulate movement. In other words, when the nervous system becomes overly excited, it can send too many signals to the muscles, causing them to stiffen or spasm.

A person’s “whole body can seize up when startled or in other situations,” putting them at risk for falls and injuries, he said.

The syndrome affects women at twice the rate of men, experts say, and although it can affect a person at any age, it is most often diagnosed among middle-aged people.

What are the symptoms? Is it painful?

SPS causes muscle stiffness, muscle aches and muscle spasms, often in the lower back and legs, which can make it difficult for some patients to walk. Those who have symptoms that are not well-controlled may need to use a walker or wheelchair to keep from falling or injuring themselves.

The muscle spasms are what neurologists call “stimulus sensitive” and can be provoked by a sudden noise, light touch or even emotional distress. One form of the condition can affect muscles that control the eyes, speech or singing or swallowing.

“Just imagine having the worst Charley Horse you can have but it’s affecting a ton of muscles in your lower back and legs — and it’s constant. It’s very painful,” said Kunal Desai, assistant professor of neurology at Yale University.

Chi-Ying “Roy” Lin, a neurology professor specializing in movement disorders at Baylor College of Medicine, said in the cases he has seen, patients “were very, extremely uncomfortable, and it’s usually very painful.”

And when the pain occurs it’s very debilitating no matter what position, he added. “There’s basically no comfortable position for them to stay, either sitting or laying.”

The condition typically only affects skeletal muscles that we can control, and not smooth muscles or those found in the heart. It does not seem to affect cognition, but may be associated with anxiety.

In her statement, Dion said the spasms have made her life difficult.

“Unfortunately, these spasms affect 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,” she said.

Because of her diagnosis, the singer said she “won’t be ready to restart my tour in Europe in February.”

How is it treated?

SPS is not curable, but it can be managed, experts say.

Treatment is aimed at targeting the nervous system directly to restore balance, as well as targeting the immune system to stop it from attacking the nervous system, McKeon said.

For patients who have an autoimmune cause, treatment may include intravenous immune globulin (IVIG), a treatment that uses antibodies to blunt the immune response. Other treatments involve using muscle relaxants, anticonvulsants and pain medications for those experiencing pain.

In addition, Pavan Tankha, medical director of Comprehensive Pain Recovery at the Cleveland Clinic, said he refers patients to pain psychologists, physical therapists and other health professionals “to try to improve their overall quality of life and decrease the suffering associated with pain.”

“Pain simply isn’t what you feel; it’s also what it does to you,” he said.

- ◆ -

注：中文文本为机器翻译仅供参考，并非一一对应

含注释全文：

What is stiff-person syndrome? Celine Dion reveals rare condition.

From: The Washington Post

Celine Dion announced that she was diagnosed with a rare and incurable neurological condition known as stiff-person syndrome, and that she will cancel or postpone dozens of shows in her “Courage World Tour.”

席琳·迪翁（Celine Dion）宣布，她被诊断出患有一种罕见且无法治愈的神经系统疾病——僵人综合征（stiff-person syndrome），她将取消或推迟她的“勇气世界巡演”中的几十场演出。

熟词僻义，除了表示“情况，状况”，condition本身可以表示“疾病”，英文解释为“any of different types of diseases”如：to suffer from a heart/skin condition 患有心脏/皮肤病。

📍out of condition 可以表示“身体状况不佳，不在状态”（not healthy enough for hard physical exercise, as a result of not taking part in sport or other physical activities）。

表示“不易弯曲（或活动）的；硬的；挺的”，英文解释为“firm and difficult to bend or move”如：stiff cardboard 硬纸板。

syndrome /ˈsɪndrəʊm/ 表示“综合征，征群，综合症状”，英文解释为“a combination of medical problems that shows the existence of a particular disease or mental condition”

In an emotional, five-minute Instagram video posted Thursday, Dion, 54, told fans: “I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time, and it’s been really difficult for me to face these challenges and to talk about everything that I’ve been going through.”

在周四发布的一段流露真情的五分钟Instagram视频中，54岁的席琳·迪翁告诉粉丝们：“我的健康问题已经困扰我很长一段时间了，对我来说，面对这些挑战并谈论我所经历的一切真的很难。”

What is stiff-person syndrome? We spoke with neurologists and a pain specialist to answer common questions about the unusual disorder, including how it’s diagnosed and whether it affects longevity.

什么是僵人综合征？我们采访了神经学家和疼痛专家，回答了关于这种罕见疾病的常见问题，包括如何诊断以及是否会影响寿命。

表示“长寿；长命；持久”，英文解释为“long life; the fact of lasting a long time”举个🌰：

We wish you both health and longevity. 我们祝愿您二位健康长寿。

What is stiff-person syndrome? 什么是僵人综合征？

Stiff-person syndrome (SPS) is a rare, chronic neurological disorder that causes muscle stiffness and sometimes intense muscle spasms in the trunk and limbs, affecting posture, balance and the ability to use certain muscles. It usually has an autoimmune component and, in some cases, it can be progressive and painful, experts say.

僵人综合征（SPS）是一种罕见的慢性神经系统疾病，会导致肌肉僵硬，有时躯干和四肢会出现强烈的肌肉痉挛，影响姿势、平衡和使用某些肌肉的能力。专家说，它通常有自身免疫成分，在某些情况下，它可能是渐进的、引起疼痛的。

spasm /ˈspæz.əm/ 表示“抽搐，痉挛”，英文解释为“an occasion when a muscle suddenly becomes tighter in a way that cannot be controlled”如：a muscle/muscular spasm 肌肉抽搐。

表示“（人体的）躯干”，英文解释为“the main part of a person's body, not including the head, legs, or arms”举个🌰：

The statue shows the head, trunk, and arms of an old man. 这座雕塑展示了一位老人的头部、躯干和手臂。

limb /lɪm/ 表示“肢体；树枝，树杈”，英文解释为“an arm or leg of a person or animal”举个🌰：

The accident victims mostly had injuries to their lower limbs (= legs). 事故受害者大多腿上都有伤。

autoimmune /ˌɔː.təʊ.ɪˈmjuːn/ 表示“自身免疫的”，英文解释为“relating to a condition in which someone's antibodies attack substances that are naturally found in the body”举个🌰：

One type of diabetes is an autoimmune disease/disorder that may be triggered by a virus. 有一类糖尿病可能是由一种病毒引起的自身免疫疾病/紊乱。

Andrew McKeon, professor of neurology at the Mayo Clinic, said SPS affects nerves in the spinal cord and neurons in the brain that regulate movement. In other words, when the nervous system becomes overly excited, it can send too many signals to the muscles, causing them to stiffen or spasm.

妙佑医疗国际（Mayo Clinic）神经学教授安德鲁·麦肯（Andrew McKeon）说，僵人综合征会影响脊髓中的神经和大脑中调节运动的神经元。换句话说，当神经系统变得过度兴奋时，它会向肌肉发送过多信号，导致肌肉僵硬或痉挛。

spinal cord 表示“脊髓”，英文解释为“the set of nerves inside the spine that connect the brain to other nerves in the body”

spinal 表示“脊柱的；脊椎的”，英文解释为“of the spine”如：a spinal injury 脊柱受伤。

stiffen /ˈstɪf.ən/ 表示“变僵硬；变得不易弯曲”，英文解释为“to become firm or more difficult to bend”举个🌰：

His body stiffened in fear. 他吓得身体发僵。

A person’s “whole body can seize up when startled or in other situations,” putting them at risk for falls and injuries, he said.

他说，一个人“在受惊或其他情况下全身会发僵”，会使人有摔倒和受伤的风险。

seize /siːz/ 表示“（人体某部位）发僵；动弹不得；出故障；失灵”，英文解释为“to stop being able to move or work in the normal way”举个🌰：

The washing machine totally seized up. 洗衣机彻底坏掉了。

表示“使惊吓；使吓一跳；使大吃一惊”，英文解释为“to surprise sb suddenly in a way that slightly shocks or frightens them”举个🌰：

Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. 抱歉，我不是故意吓你一跳的。

📍此前在生日惊喜变惊吓！岳父开枪毙了从草丛蹦出来的女婿文中就多次提到这个词。

📺美剧《迷失》（Lost）第六季中的台词提到：I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. 抱歉 我不是故意吓你的。

The syndrome affects women at twice the rate of men, experts say, and although it can affect a person at any age, it is most often diagnosed among middle-aged people.

专家说，这种综合征对女性的影响是男性的两倍。虽然任何年龄段的人都可能确诊，但最常出现在中年人身上。

What are the symptoms? Is it painful? 有什么症状？疼吗？

SPS causes muscle stiffness, muscle aches and muscle spasms, often in the lower back and legs, which can make it difficult for some patients to walk. Those who have symptoms that are not well-controlled may need to use a walker or wheelchair to keep from falling or injuring themselves.

僵人综合征会导致肌肉僵硬、肌肉疼痛和肌肉痉挛，通常发生在下背部和腿部，这会使一些患者难以行走。症状没有得到很好控制的人可能需要使用助行器或轮椅来防止跌倒或受伤。

ache /eɪk/ 1）表示“（持续的）疼痛，隐痛”，英文解释为“a continuous pain that is unpleasant but not very strong”举个🌰：

As you get older, you have all sorts of aches and pains. 人老了，就会有各种各样的病痛。

2）表示“（与表示身体部位的词一起构成合成词，表示该部位的持续疼痛）”，英文解释为“used in combinations with parts of the body to mean a continuous pain in the stated part”如：earache/a headache/toothache/backache 耳痛/头痛/牙疼/背痛。

The muscle spasms are what neurologists call “stimulus sensitive” and can be provoked by a sudden noise, light touch or even emotional distress. One form of the condition can affect muscles that control the eyes, speech or singing or swallowing.

肌肉痉挛是神经学家所说的“刺激敏感”，可能是由突然的噪音、轻触甚至情绪困扰引起的。这种疾病的一种形式会影响控制眼睛、说话、唱歌或吞咽的肌肉。

stimulus /ˈstɪm.jə.ləs/ 表示“刺激（物），激励（物）；促进因素”，英文解释为“something that causes growth or activity”举个🌰：

Foreign investment has been a stimulus to the industry. 外国投资促进了该产业的发展。

1）表示“激起，引起”，英文解释为“to cause a reaction or feeling, especially a sudden one”，如：provoke debate/discussion 激起辩论/讨论。

2）表示“激怒，挑衅”，英文解释为“to make or try to make a person or an animal angry”举个🌰：

It was a vicious-looking dog and I didn't want to provoke it. 那只狗看起来很凶，我可不想招惹它。

表示“吞咽，吞下，咽下”，英文解释为“to cause food, drink, pills, etc. to move from your mouth into your stomach by using the muscles of your throat”举个🌰：

My throat is so sore that it really hurts when I swallow. 我的喉咙很痛，吞咽起来很难受。

📍必胜客推出巨型“披萨毯”文中提到：And when you think about it, a $150 price tag is a lot easier to swallow than the $7,100 Neiman Marcus recently charged for a hot dog shaped couch. 仔细想想，150美元的价格比尼曼（Neiman Marcus）最近为一个热狗形状的沙发收取的7100美元要容易接受得多。此处swallow意思是“相信；信以为真；轻信；全盘接受”，英文解释为“to accept that sth is true; to believe sth”举个🌰：

I found her excuse very hard to swallow. 我觉得她的理由很难让人相信。

“Just imagine having the worst Charley Horse you can have but it’s affecting a ton of muscles in your lower back and legs — and it’s constant. It’s very painful,” said Kunal Desai, assistant professor of neurology at Yale University.

耶鲁大学神经学助理教授库纳尔·德赛（Kunal Desai）说：“想象一下，你下背部和腿的大量肌肉都抽筋了，而且是持续性的——这是非常痛苦的。”

charley horse /ˈtʃɑː.li ˌhɔːs/ 表示“（手臂或腿部的）痉挛，抽筋”，英文解释为“a cramp (= a sudden painful tightening of a muscle) in your arm or leg”

Chi-Ying “Roy” Lin, a neurology professor specializing in movement disorders at Baylor College of Medicine, said in the cases he has seen, patients “were very, extremely uncomfortable, and it’s usually very painful.”

贝勒医学院专门研究运动障碍的神经学教授林志英（Chi-Ying "Roy" Lin，音译）说，在他见过的病例中，患者“非常、极度不舒服，而且通常非常痛苦。”

And when the pain occurs it’s very debilitating no matter what position, he added. “There’s basically no comfortable position for them to stay, either sitting or laying.”

当出现疼痛时，无论什么姿势都让人非常虚弱，他补充道，“无论坐着还是躺着，基本上都找不到舒服的姿势。”

debilitating /dɪˈbɪl.ɪ.teɪ.tɪŋ/ 表示“使（人）虚弱的；使（事物）软弱的”，英文解释为“making someone or something physically weak”如：a debilitating condition/disease 令人衰弱的疾病。

The condition typically only affects skeletal muscles that we can control, and not smooth muscles or those found in the heart. It does not seem to affect cognition, but may be associated with anxiety.

这种疾病通常只影响我们可以控制的骨骼肌，而不影响平滑肌或心脏中的肌肉。该病似乎不会影响认知，但可能与焦虑有关。

cognition /kɒɡˈnɪʃ.ən/ 表示“认识；认知”，英文解释为“the use of conscious mental processes”如：a book on human learning, memory, and cognition 一本关于人类学习、记忆和认知过程的书。

In her statement, Dion said the spasms have made her life difficult.

席琳·迪翁在声明中说，痉挛让她的生活变得困难。

“Unfortunately, these spasms affect 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,” she said.

“不幸的是，痉挛影响了我日常生活的方方面面，有时会在我走路时造成困难，并且我无法用声带像以前那样唱歌，”她说。

vocal cords /ˈvəʊ.kəl ˌkɔːdz/ 表示“声带”，英文解释为“a pair of folds at the upper end of the throat whose edges move quickly backwards and forwards and produce sound when air from the lungs moves over them”

Because of her diagnosis, the singer said she “won’t be ready to restart my tour in Europe in February.”

因为确诊，这位歌手说她“还没有准备好在二月份重新开始我的欧洲巡演。”

How is it treated? 如何治疗？

SPS is not curable, but it can be managed, experts say.

专家说，僵人综合征是不可治愈的，但它是可控的。

Treatment is aimed at targeting the nervous system directly to restore balance, as well as targeting the immune system to stop it from attacking the nervous system, McKeon said.

麦肯说，治疗的目的是直接针对神经系统来恢复平衡，以及针对免疫系统来阻止它攻击神经系统。

For patients who have an autoimmune cause, treatment may include intravenous immune globulin (IVIG), a treatment that uses antibodies to blunt the immune response. Other treatments involve using muscle relaxants, anticonvulsants and pain medications for those experiencing pain.

对于患有自身免疫病的患者，治疗可能包括静脉注射免疫球蛋白（IVIG），这是一种使用抗体来钝化免疫反应的治疗方法。其他治疗方法包括使用肌肉松弛剂、抗痉挛药（anticonvulsant）和缓解疼痛的镇痛药。

blunt /blʌnt/  作动词，表示“使变钝”，英文解释为“to make something less sharp” 也可以表示“使（情感）减弱”，英文解释为“to make a feeling less strong”举个🌰：

My recent bad experience has blunted my enthusiasm for travel. 最近的倒霉经历已经使我对旅游的热情减弱了不少。

作形容词，1）表示“（铅笔、刀等）钝的，不锋利的”，英文解释为“A blunt pencil, knife, etc. is not sharp and therefore not able to write, cut, etc. well.”

2）表示“直率的；生硬的；直截了当的”，英文解释为“saying what you think without trying to be polite or considering other people's feelings”举个🌰：

I'll be blunt - that last piece of work you did was terrible. 我就直说了——你创作的最后一件作品糟糕透了。

relaxant /rɪˈlæk.sənt/ 表示“使肌肉放松的物质，松弛剂”，英文解释为“a drug or other substance that makes muscles less tight”

medication /ˌmed.ɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/ 表示“药物，药剂”，英文解释为“a medicine, or a set of medicines or drugs, used to improve a particular condition or illness”举个🌰：

He is currently on/taking medication for his heart. 目前他正在服用治疗心脏病的药物。

In addition, Pavan Tankha, medical director of Comprehensive Pain Recovery at the Cleveland Clinic, said he refers patients to pain psychologists, physical therapists and other health professionals “to try to improve their overall quality of life and decrease the suffering associated with pain.”

此外，克利夫兰诊所综合疼痛康复部的医疗主任帕万·坦卡（Pavan Tankha）说，他把患者介绍给疼痛心理学家、物理治疗师和其他健康专家，“以尝试改善他们的整体生活质量并减少与疼痛有关的痛苦。”

“Pain simply isn’t what you feel; it’s also what it does to you,” he said.

“疼痛的不仅仅是你所感觉到的，还有它对你所产生的影响，”他说。

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