Ashton Kutcher shares details of secret battle with rare autoimmune disease – National Globalnews.ca

Ashton Kutcher said he’s “lucky to be alive” after suffering a rare condition that left him unable to see, hear or walk.

Kutcher revealed for the first time in an episode his battle with vasculitis, an autoimmune disease Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge which airs on National Geographic.

In the episode, Grylls asked Kutcher where his strength came from, to which the actor replied, “Two years ago I had this weird, super rare form of vasculitis that was destroying my vision. It knocked out my hearing. It destroyed my whole balance.”

Kutcher, 44, said it took him about a year to regain his senses and balance.

“You don’t really appreciate it until it’s gone, until you say, ‘I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to see again, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to hear again, I know I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to walk again,” he says.

Actor and director Harold Ramis died in 2014 from complications from vasculitis Caddyshack, National Lampoon’s holiday and Groundhog Day The director suffered from the disease for four years before passing away at the age of 69.

Kutcher added at the end of the interview, “The moment you start seeing your obstacles as things made for you, to give you what you need, life starts to be fun, correct? You start surfing your problems instead of living under them.”

What is vasculitis?

Vasculitis is a family of rare diseases that causes inflammation of the blood vessels, according to the Mayo Clinic. The inflammation then restricts blood flow, which can lead to organ and tissue damage or even an aneurysm. If an aneurysm ruptures, it can cause internal bleeding and death.

Common symptoms of vasculitis include fever, headache, fatigue, weight loss, and pain. As the disease progresses, more serious symptoms can include blindness, hearing loss, ulcers, dizziness, bleeding under the skin, and shortness of breath.

“The exact cause of vasculitis is not fully understood,” writes the Mayo Clinic. “Some species are related to a person’s genetic makeup. Others result from the immune system inadvertently attacking blood vessel cells.”

Vasculitis can affect anyone, but age, family history, drug use, and previous medical problems can increase your chances of contracting the disease.

A study published in Nature found that giant cell arteritis (GCA) is the most common form of vasculitis in the elderly and most commonly affects people of Northern European descent.

In Ontario, about 235 people per 100,000 were affected by GCA in 2018, up from 125 people per 100,000 in 2000.

Kawasaki disease is the most common form of vasculitis in children around the age of five, and the study found that it most commonly affects children of Southeast Asian descent.

In Canada, about 20 children per 100,000 have Kawasaki disease.

It is unclear which form of vasculitis Kutcher suffers from.

1:08
Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher’s GoFundme in Ukraine, raises $30 million in donations

previous video

next video