Solange Reveals She’s Living With This ‘Debilitating’ Condition

Solange Knowles is getting candid about the autoimmune disorder she suffers from. 

She recently hopped in the comments of an Instagram post from musician Shaun Ross. Back in October, Ross spoke openly about his postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) diagnosis as a result of long COVID.

In the comment section, Knowles wrote about her own experience with POTS.

“Sending u so much love and strength Shaun and to all in the comments struggling with the debilitating, confusing, and lonely symptoms of POTS,” said the singer.

She went on to say she can “really relate to not wanting your health to be your identity.” According to the Cleveland Clinic, POTS can cause an abnormally rapid heart rate when transitioning from lying down to standing up. An estimated 1 to 3 million people suffer from POTS. In addition to POTS, Knowles struggles with Sjögren’s syndrome and mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS). She was diagnosed with both back in 2018.

The National Institute of Health classifies Sjögren’s as an autoimmune disorder that attacks the salivary and lacrimal glands. According to the American Academy or Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, MCAS can cause repeated and severe allergic reactions like “hives, swelling, low blood pressure, difficulty breathing and severe diarrhea.

Knowles also acknowledged Dysautonomia International. It’s a nonprofit that works to improve the lives of people living autonomic nervous system disorders.

“The good folks at @dysautonomiaintl were really an incredible resource for me and I feel really grateful for the spoonie community for holding me down during my times of complete uncertainty!” she said.

This isn’t the first time she’s spoken about her health issues on Instagram. She took to the social media site in 2021 on the two-year anniversary of her 2019 album “When I Get Home” to speak about her struggles. However, she wasn’t specific about her diagnoses at the time. 

“When I first started creating ‘When I Get Home’ I was quite literally fighting for my life,” she wrote in her March 2021 post. “In and out of hospitals (s/out park plaza on Binz! 🙂) with depleting health and broken spirits asking God to send me a sign I would not only survive, but that if he let me make it out alive, I would step into the light whatever that meant.”

According to the National Institutes of Health, autoimmune diseases are becoming more prevalent due to exposure to external factors like the changing environment. If you suspect you might be suffering from an autoimmune disease, you’re asked to consult your doctor.  

RELATED CONTENT: Know Much About Lupus & Sarcoidosis? You Should, Because They’re The Autoimmune Diseases Affecting Black Women Most