here's what ashton kutcher has to say about his vasculitis diagnosis

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the actor had a "super rare" form of the disease, which he said "knocked out" his vision, hearing and equilibrium.

by maija kappler

published aug 10, 2022

last updated feb 20, 2025

3 minute read

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3 minute read

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what is vasculitis, the condition ashton kutcher had?

actor ashton kutcher attends the los angeles premiere of "vengeance" at ace hotel. (photo by robin l marshall/getty images)

actor ashton kutcher recently announce that last year, he had a “super rare” form of vasculitis, a rare disease that cause inflammation of blood vessels.

kutcher opened up about the diagnosis in an upcoming episode of running wild with bear grylls: the challenge, a show where british adventurer grylls teaches nature survival techniques to a roster of celebrity guests. in an episode that aired monday night, kutcher told grylls he’s “lucky to be alive.”

“like two years ago, i had this weird, super rare form of vasculitis, that knocked out my vision, it knocked out my hearing, it knocked out like all my equilibrium,” kutcher said on the show, according to people. “it took me like a year to build it all back up.”

seemingly as a response to anti-vaxxers on social media erroneously linking his vasculitis to the covid vaccine, kutcher clarified the situation on twitter on monday. “yes, i had a rare vasculitis episode 3yrs ago,” he wrote. he had an “autoimmune flare up,” he said, and “had some impairments [including] hear[ing], vision, balance issues right after.” but he added that he “fully recovered” and is now “all good.”

kutcher and his wife, actress mila kunis, have said they are vaccinated, and spoke last fall about their impatience for a covid vaccine to be approved for their young children. as with myocarditis — inflammation of the heart muscle — vasculitis is a possible but extremely rare side effect to the covid vaccine. and, as with myocarditis, people who contract covid are also at risk of developing vasculitis-like symptoms. covid symptoms are more likely to lead to hospitalization or death in people who don’t get vaccinated against covid. health canada, like every other major health organization, says that the benefits to getting the covid vaccine vastly outweigh the potential risks.

what is vasculitis?

vasculitis, sometimes called angiitis or arteritis, is an autoimmune disorder that causes inflammation of the blood vessels, according to webmd. there are a number of forms, most of them rare, which can cause a variety of reactions in the blood vessels: they may stretch, weaken, grow larger, grow more narrow, or close up entirely. in rare cases, it can lead to an aneurysm.

symptoms involve general aches and pains, fever, headache, fatigue and weight loss. there may also be other symptoms more specific to the affected body parts, like digestive issues, hearing loss, loss of vision, swelling or loss of feeling in the hands and feet, trouble breathing, or skin rashes.

experts still don’t understand what exactly causes vasculitis. some types are thought to be genetic, and others may be triggered by certain drugs, infections like hepatitis b or c, blood cancers, or other illnesses of the immune system like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.

on the show, kutcher told grylls that good health is something “you don’t really appreciate it until it’s gone… until you go, ‘i don’t know if i’m ever going to be able to see again, i don’t know if i’m ever going to be able to hear again, i don’t know if i’m ever going to be able to walk again.'”