The dancer and TV personality has recently been transparent about her journey with Sjogren\u2019s disease \u2013 an autoimmune condition that can start with seemingly small symptoms but has the potential to become debilitating.<\/p>\n
Inaba, 58, was rushed to the hospital last week after her condition triggered a medical emergency<\/a> mid-flight while traveling to New York City.<\/p>\n ‘DWTS’ JUDGE CARRIE ANN INABA RUSHED TO HOSPITAL AFTER MID-FLIGHT MEDICAL EMERGENCY<\/a><\/p>\n In an Instagram post featuring a video of Inaba being transported in an ambulance, she described how she “suddenly felt quite ill.”<\/p>\n “And while it seemed like food poisoning, I also suddenly broke out into a cold sweat, got dizzy and my arms went numb,” she wrote.<\/p>\n “Like many people who live with autoimmune disease, I travel with a health tool kit<\/a> and am prepared for the worst, but this scared me.”<\/p>\n SELENA GOMEZ’S HEALTH BATTLE TAKES PAINFUL TURN AS STAR REVEALS LUPUS COMPLICATION<\/a><\/p>\n In an interview with Fox News Digital, Inaba revealed that she\u2019s been silently struggling with the disease for years, since first developing eye problems when she was younger.<\/p>\n “My eyes were really, really dry and I kept having injuries to my corneas<\/a>,” she said.<\/p>\n After consulting her ophthalmologist, who brushed off her symptoms, Inaba met with a rheumatologist who directed her to a Sjogren\u2019s specialist.<\/p>\n Carrie Ann Inaba has been a “Dancing with the Stars” judge since the ballroom dance competition’s first season in 2005. (Courtesy of Carrie Ann Inaba)<\/p>\n Following extensive bloodwork and a dry-eye test, Inaba was diagnosed with Sjogren\u2019s disease in 2013 \u2013 more than 10 years after she first experienced symptoms.<\/p>\n What is Sjogren\u2019s disease?<\/p>\n Sjogren\u2019s is a chronic, systemic autoimmune disease<\/a> that can affect different parts of the body. If left untreated, the condition can worsen over time, in some cases causing damage to the lungs, kidneys and other organs, according to medical experts.<\/p>\n An estimated four million people in the U.S. are living with Sjogren\u2019s, 90% of whom are women.<\/p>\n In a survey of more than 3,500 adults living with the disease, 48 different symptoms were reported over the course of a year, per data from Sjout for Sjogren\u2019s.<\/p>\n JULIE BOWEN OF ‘MODERN FAMILY’ GETS REAL ABOUT CHRONIC DRY EYE: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE PROGRESSIVE CONDITION<\/a><\/p>\n Sjogren\u2019s can show up differently for everyone, making it difficult to diagnose.<\/p>\n In Inaba’s case, after the initial dry-eye symptoms, she began suffering from “a lot of pain<\/a>” in her neck and shoulders. As a dancer, this was difficult to differentiate from the normal aches and pains, she shared. Extreme fatigue<\/a> was another symptom she experienced.<\/p>\n Carrie Ann Inaba, pictured at the Deadline x Dancing with the Stars 20th Anniversary Portrait Studio in November 2025, was diagnosed with Sjogren\u2019s disease in 2013. (Anthony Avellano\/Deadline via Getty Images)<\/p>\n “I had no energy to move forward with things, which is unlike me,” she said. “I’ve always been a go-getter … I was physically active my whole life. And during this chapter, when I was starting to figure out something was wrong, there were all these symptoms, and I didn’t understand how they were related.”<\/p>\n FEELING EXTRA TIRED? THIS VIRUS COULD BE THE CULPRIT, STUDY SUGGESTS<\/a><\/p>\n Other symptoms can include dry mouth, brain fog<\/a>, anxiety, swollen glands and lymph nodes, skin rashes, fevers and night sweats. People may also notice numbness, tingling or burning in the hands or feet. Internal organ complications can also occur.<\/p>\n Managing the disease<\/p>\n Inaba said she relies on a variety of practices to manage her symptoms, including keeping her eyes and environment moist.<\/p>\n “I always have a lot of drinks. I’m always spraying things in the air to get moisture in the air. I have a humidifier I sleep with,” she told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/a><\/p>\n “I also do lots of meditation and reiki<\/a> and body work to make sure I don’t get too flared up, because pain is always with me. I live with pain 24\/7.”<\/p>\n Inaba said she\u2019s learned how to listen to her body to tap into what it needs, especially taking time to rest surrounding big events.<\/p>\n An infographic displaying symptoms experienced by more than 3,500 U.S. Sjogren’s patients in one year. (Sjoiut for Sjogren’s\/sjoutforsjogrens.com)<\/p>\n “I know that more than likely, I might be sick and I might have a few down days afterwards, and it’s worth the risk,” she said. “If I don’t have to be in a crowd, I won’t, because I want to take care of my health and prioritize myself.”<\/p>\n “Don’t let people tell you it’s not real.”<\/p>\n For others who are living with Sjogren\u2019s or experiencing symptoms, Inaba\u2019s advice is to keep “careful track” of the warning signs, to recognize when something doesn\u2019t feel right and to advocate for proper care<\/a>.<\/p>\n This is the message behind the Sjout for Sjogren\u2019s campaign, an awareness movement that Inaba hopes will help spread more knowledge about the disease and reduce stigma.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES<\/a><\/p>\n “We want people to respect that it is a complicated systemic autoimmune disease that needs care,” she said. “There is no FDA-approved treatment<\/a> at this time, so it’s about managing symptoms.”<\/p>\n “It\u2019s important to also have a community \u2013 and part of this campaign is about building a community.”<\/p>\n Carrie Ann Inaba appears on “Dancing with the Stars” during the show’s 20th birthday celebration that aired Nov. 11. (Eric McCandless\/Disney)<\/p>\n The most important thing Inaba wants people to know about Sjogren\u2019s is that “it\u2019s real.”<\/p>\n “It’s an invisible illness<\/a>,” she said. “I know when I’m out there doing whatever show I’m doing, you don’t think I’m sick, but I pay a price for doing that.”<\/p>\n![\"carrie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Carrie-Ann-Inaba-headshot.jpeg\")
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