What is CVID? Kesha opens up on diagnosis and the near-fatal health scare that rose from freezing her eggs

Grammy-nominated American singer-songwriter Kesha of Tik Tok fame recently opened up about her near-death experience that arose from a fertility procedure gone wrong. She revealed all about her latest health issues in the June cover story of Self Magazine.

“I almost died in January.”

The 36-year-old mentioned how the complications developed from her pre-existing CVID (originally diagnosed in 2002) in late 2022 when she wanted to freeze her eggs. CVID, or Common Variable Immunodeficiency, is a genetic immune system disorder that leads to low levels of antibodies (proteins that fight infections) in the blood. As a result, people who suffer from CVID experience infections more often than other people.

“I just was taking my reproductive health into my own hands. But weeks later I ended up in the hospital.”

She performed in the Bahamas on New Year’s Eve. However, she felt too weak to even stand on her own feet. In the early weeks of January 2023, she returned to the Miami hospital, where the doctors informed her that due to her existing weakened immune system, aka CVID, she had undergone a rare and serious infection from her fertility procedure. She even spent nine days at the hospital in severe condition.

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CVID, which Kesha suffers from, is a genetic disease

CVID, or Common Variable Immunodeficiency, is a genetic condition (passed on from one generation to the next) that causes recurring infections as antibodies are naturally missing from the blood. As part of this disease, the immune system is weaker than usual.

However, the condition affects 1 in 25,000 individuals and is mostly found among adults aged between 20 and 50 years. It occurs due to defective genes that mess with the human body’s immune system and produce abnormally low amounts of immunoglobulins, which in turn make it difficult to fight infections.

Any person suffering from chronic ailments such as breathing troubles, cough, diarrhea, weight loss, ear infections, sinus infections, and persistent lung infections should be checked for CVID. Unusual reactions to vaccines may also indicate CVID. It also increases the chances of having cancer and digestive disorders.

If an individual is diagnosed with CVID, they are often advised to undergo Immunoglobulin Replacement Therapy. But it is a lifetime treatment and has no known cure so far.

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Kesha has also suffered from bulimia

Kesha was diagnosed with CVID in 2022 but has so far kept her medical condition private to avoid unwanted attention.

“I just never wanted to be the whiny, privileged girl. Also, my image had been that of going out and having fun.”

However, CVID is not the only serious health complication Kesha has battled with. In 2014, she was diagnosed with bulimia. It is a chronic eating disorder characterized by a binge and purge cycle, i.e., severe overeating followed by self-induced vomiting.

This time, her fight was against CVID, which took her a couple of months to recover from. Kesha explained, "I finally feel recovered." She also added, "It was horrifying."

After two health scares in less than a decade, Kesha revealed that being kinder to herself is now her number one priority.

“If I just am kinder to myself, everything seems way more manageable. When I first came out, I had this bravado, and it seemed like I don’t give a f*ck, which, there are elements of that, but I’m only human.”

She also mentioned how she turned around her life by "taking the meanest commentary as the truth and my higher power" when netizens trolled her repeatedly. She further explained how she embraced her reality and started "talking to myself like someone who loves me."

In addition to speaking about her health complications, Kesha also talked about her romantic life but chose not to disclose her boyfriend’s name. However, as per several sources, she has been spotted frequently with producer Riccardo Maddalosso in Los Angeles in the last few months.