Solange Knowles is providing an update on her health.
The 38-year-old singer revealed this week that she received multiple diagnoses in 2018 while commenting on an Instagram post from fellow musician Shaun Ross, 33, who spoke openly about his experience with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) following long COVID.
According to the Mayo Clinic, POTS “affects the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary body functions such as heart rate and blood pressure.”
In the comments section of the October 14 post, Knowles mentioned that she had also been diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) in addition to the medical condition discussed.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Sjogren’s syndrome “is a disorder of your immune system identified by its two most common symptoms — dry eyes and a dry mouth.”
Meanwhile, the National Institutes of Health states that with MCAS, “mast cells mistakenly release too many chemical agents, resulting in symptoms in the skin, gastrointestinal tract, heart, respiratory, and neurologic systems.”
Knowles wrote, “Sending u so much love and strength Shaun and to all in the comments struggling with the debilitating, confusing, and lonely symptoms of POTS !”
“I got diagnosed with POTS, Sjogrens and Mcas in 2018 and really relate to not wanting your health to be your identity,” she added.
Knowles hasn’t shared much about her health journey previously, but she did disclose in December 2017 that she had to cancel her New Year’s Eve performance at Afropunk Fest in South Africa due to an autonomic disorder she had been “quietly treating” for the past five months.
In a since-deleted post, the musician wrote, “[It’s] been a journey that hasn’t been easy on me… Sometimes I feel cool, and other times not so cool at all.”
At that time, she explained that her diagnosis was “complicated” and that she was “still learning so much myself,” without specifying the type of autonomic disorder she had.
Additionally, in November 2017, Knowles canceled her performance at Florida State University’s Homecoming concert due to “a medical condition,” as confirmed in a statement by WTXL.
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