What is Ehlers-Danlos syndrome? Jameela Jamil describes battle with inherited condition
Jameela Jamil has opened up about her battle with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) - a rare disorder that affects the body's connective tissue. The 36-year-old actress shared a video of herself on Instagram showing her pulling her cheeks to show how much her skin stretches and said the condition is a "dangerous thing to have" if undiagnosed. She wants to raise awareness to help others, Jamil added.
In the clip, Jamil said, "Hi look at this, Jesus Christ, this is not an app or filter. It's my face, look at how elastic that is. The reason it's so elastic is because I have EDS, I have HEDS three, and the H because I'm so hypermobile. The joints, nothing bends the right way, everything bends the wrong way. I want to talk about it despite the fact people like to make fun of me because of my health. It's a serious condition and affects every part of your body and your mind and it's a dangerous thing to have if you don't know you have it."
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"The way it affects bruising, bleeding, healing, if you want to have a baby... I don't drink, smoke, do drugs. I'm worried at the fact I'm disadvantaged with my health. It means you dislocate, your teeth are harder to work on, your struggles with migraines, random allergies," Jamil added. "I'm not a doctor but that's why I want you to go to a doctor... if you're struggling with your joints and accidents all the time, please look at the symptoms. It really can save your life. The people who have it really look well. I love you, I'm with you, go get checked!'
The 'She-Hulk: Attorney at Law' actress previously acknowledged that she has EDS in a video in 2019 with the caption, “I’m fine." She also spoke about it in 2021 via Parade saying, “It’s severe lack of collagen, just to put in the most simple terms. It means complications with your bones, teeth, joints, skin and your vital organs. Basically, nothing works properly. You look like the absolute picture of health on the outside, and you’re subjected to a lifetime of doubt cast on you by people who haven’t lived with an invisible illness."
What is Ehlers-Danlos syndrome?
According to Healthline, EDS is a group of inherited conditions that cause abnormal collagen function. They can affect connective tissues that support and structure the skin, joints, bones, blood vessels, and organs. There are 13 types of EDS: hypermobile, classic, classic-like, cardiac-valvular, vascular, arthrochalasia, dermatosparaxis, kyphoscoliotic, brittle cornea, spondylodysplastic, musculocontractural, myopathic and periodontal.
Hypermobile EDS' primary symptom is loose or weak joints. Other symptoms include easy bruising, muscle pain, muscle fatigue, chronic degenerative joint disease, premature osteoarthritis, chronic pain, and heart valve problems.