Popular New Zealand news anchor Toni Street announced to fans she has Churg-Strauss syndrome.
Toni didn’t want to kick up a fuss about her diagnosis with the autoimmune disease. Her viewership showered her with messages of support, however, so she felt she had to make it more public.
The exact cause of Churg-Strauss syndrome remains a mystery.
It is likely that a combination of genes and an environmental stimulus, like an allergen or medication, work together to trigger an overactive immune system. The immune system is supposed to protect the body against invading bacteria and viruses. In this case, it instead goes into hyperdrive and attacks healthy tissue, which leads to widespread inflammation. Most notably, it causes blood vessel inflammation. This, in turn, can cause permanent tissue and organ damage due to the restricted blood flow which results from the inflammatory state.
Some people have developed Churg-Strauss syndrome after using montelukast, an asthma and allergy medication. Others develop symptoms after changing from a low-dose oral systemic steroid to an inhaled steroid medication. However, there is no clear connection between Churg-Strauss syndrome and any medication.
Churg-Strauss syndrome is rare and incurable, but steroids and powerful immunosuppressant drugs can control symptoms.
The most common sign of Churg-Strauss syndrome is asthma, but a variety of other problems also accompany the disease. Rash, hay fever, gastrointestinal bleeding, numbness, and severe pain are all culprits. But the wide range of symptoms that come and go, and their roles in so many other disorders, makes Churg-Strauss extremely difficult to diagnose.
Street had health issues for years, particularly stomach pains. Doctors removed her gallbladder, and told her she’d feel much better. But only two days after the surgery, the horrible stomach pain returned. Toni knew something was wrong, and that removing her gall bladder wasn’t the answer to what was ailing her.
After the gallbladder surgery, specialists correctly diagnosed Toni. Right now, she is on a regimen of steroid infusions and immunosuppressants. One day, the mother of two may also need chemotherapy.
Her diagnosis came as a complete shock, and the drug treatments leave her puffy, achy, fatigued and depressed. She was so sick that she was very near organ failure.
Toni has been blown away by the well wishers who have watched her on television all these years, and greatly appreciates the support her viewers have given her.
