Ashton Kutcher says he feared autoimmune condition vasculitis would cost him his sight and hearing. Here's what it is and how it impacts the body.
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Marianne Guenot
Aug 9, 2022, 17:20 IST
Ashton Kutcher attends the Los Angeles Premiere of "Vengeance" at Ace Hotel on July 25, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.Robin L Marshall/Getty Images
Actor Ashton Kutcher said he contracted a condition called vasculitis about three years ago.
The condition is caused by the body attacking its own veins, making it harder for blood to flow.
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Actor Ashton Kutcher said he feared he would lose his hearing, vision, and ability to walk because of a condition called vasculitis.
The actor opened up about his vasculitis for the first time on "Running Wild With Bear Grylls: The Challenge," according to a preview shared by Access Hollywood.
The condition "knocked out my vision, it knocked out my hearing, it knocked out like all my equilibrium," Kutcher told Grylls, per the preview.
Though he has fully recovered, the actor said he felt "lucky to be alive" in footage from the show.
That can cause swelling, narrowing, weakening, or scarring of the vessels.
Because the blood isn't able to flow properly, it can cause blood clots, organ failure, and even aneurysms in the most life-threatening cases, per the American College of Rheumatology.
Vasculitis makes the body attack itself
Vasculitis happens when the body's immune system starts attacking its own blood vessels by mistake. There are lots of conditions that can cause vasculitis, and it's not clear which caused Kutcher's.
In some cases, it can be triggered by a bad reaction to some infectious diseases or an allergy to medication. In others, it will be linked to an auto-immune disease, like rheumatoid arthritis.
Symptoms can include pain, diarrhea, and bloody urine
Symptoms of vasculitis vary wildly depending on which blood vessels are affected. They range from muscle and joint pain, fever, fatigue and weight loss, to ulcers, skin lesions, diarrhea, bloody urine and more, per NORD.
Doctors will rule out more likely causes for these symptoms before asking for diagnostic tests to spot vasculitis, per the American College of Rheumatology.
Vasculitis is often mild, but it can also be severe and life-threatening, per the Vasculitis Foundation. Many will recover on their own and their condition will be short term, but relapses are also common, per the Foundation.
Anti-inflammatory medication can be prescribed to treat the condition.
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