Michael Jackson and His Ailments

Michael Jackson, 50, died June 25th after being rushed to UCLA in cardiac arrest according to a multitude of news and internet sources. Jackson had a long history of confirmed health problems. During a Pepsi-Cola commercial in 1984, Michael Jackson was burned around the face and head. A special-effects smoke bomb misfired. He had major surgery on his scalp. It is rumored that the pain caused his addiction to pain killers.

Michael Jackson was reported to have lupus. According lupus.org lupus is a chronic, autoimmune syndrome that can injure any part of the body, skin, joints, and/or organs inside the body. The signs and indicators last more than five weeks and frequently for many years. In lupus, the immune system is affected, which makes it less capable of fighting off disease, microbes, and microorganisms. In general our immune system produces antibodies that protect the body from germs. Autoimmune means your immune system cannot differentiation between germs and your body's healthy tissues. The body fights itself. The auto-antibodies cause swelling, pain and injury to various parts of the body.Lupus is a disease that flares up and goes into remissions. Sometimes you feel better and improve.

Several news sources and media pictures documented Michael Jackson's plastic surgeries. His first nose surgery was actually necessary. An accident happened between the time Jackson starred in The Wiz and recorded his Epic Records solo album Off the Wall. Michael Jackson fell while practicing his slick dance moves and broke his nose, leading to his first rhinoplasty surgery. Another surgery followed supposedly to improve upon the first one. Jackson had a number of plastic surgeries, including rhinoplasty and a chin implant.

According to CNN, in 1993, Jackson's dermatologist stated that Jackson had a skin disease called vitiligo. Vitiligo (vit-ih-LI-go) as defined by the Mayo Clinic is a condition in which your skin loses the pigment that establishes the color of your skin, hair and eyes. Vitiligo arises when the cells that manufacture melanin die or no longer create melanin. The effect is a gradually increase in white irregular shaped patches on your skin. Vitiligo involves all races, but is most apparent and disfiguring in people with darker skin tone. These changes in your skin can result in stress and worries about your appearance. There is no known cure for vitiligo. According to the National Institutes of Health, vitiligo has an effect on 1 to 2 million people in the United States.

CNN reported Michael Jackson was hospitalized with chest pains in 1990, and delayed a concert because of dehydration in August 1993. In December 1995, Michael Jackson collapsed onstage from visible dehydration and low blood pressure and was hospitalized. In 2005 ABC news reported that Michael Jackson was hospitalized with flu like syndrome. It was said he needed care for some persistent viral symptoms. This is consistent with individuals with lupus.

New rumors circulated last year that Jackson was ill and in need of a lung transplant because of Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, a rare genetic condition. Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency is a disorder that raises your risk for certain types of lung disease. AAT deficiency genes are passed from parents to children. Other rumors emerged last month that Jackson had skin cancer. According to CNN, Jackson also had a history of fractures to a vertebra and leg. Any or all of these ailments lead to his addiction to pain killers.

Work Cited:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/06/25/michael.jackson.heart.health/index.html

http://www.lupus.org/webmodules/webarticlesnet/templates/new_learnmen.aspx?articleid=109&zoneid=529

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vitiligo/DS00586

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/aat/aat_whatis.html

http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Vitiligo/default.asp