Welcome back Umechan!
Umehara was diagnosed in May with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, an autoimmune disease that attacks the nervous system. After that, he was replaced in several anime that still had to record the last episodes, as well as cancel appearances in events such as TSUKIPRO LIVE 2018 Summer Carnival. SolidS also decided to go on hiatus to wait for Umehara‘s return.
Today, Arts Vision confirmed today that Yuichiro Umehara is going to make a gradual return from hiatus after undergoing treatment and successfully recover.
According to Arts Vision, Umehara also was diagnosed with low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or intracranial hypotension which was quickly treated.
A brief explanation: CSF leakage causes severe headaches that get worse when upright and better when lying down, however this condition is reversible with treatment.
CSF cushions and protects the brain and spinal cord. A CSF leak is when a hole or tear in the dura allows this fluid to leak out. When the volume of CSF becomes low, the brain will sag inside the skull, causing headaches. Common symptoms include neck pain, neck stiffness, nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and/or sound, sense of imbalance, ringing in the ears and changes in hearing. Patients may also experience visual changes, dizziness or vertigo, facial numbness or pain, or changes in taste.
Treatment usually includes bed rest, good hydration and increased caffeine intake to reduce symptoms. If these conventional methods don’t work (most of the times those take a lot of time to help recover the patient), it is done epidural blood patching either injected into the spinal canal outside the dura, or by injecting a fibrin glue at the specific location of the leak or tear. For more information about this condition we recommend you to check THIS article.
After undergoing treatment and rehabilitation, Umehara was discharged from the hospital without any issues or after-effects.
Umehara will gradually resume his activities as a seiyuu (anime, games, events, etc) but will be paying close attention to his physical condition to avoid any relapses.
Arts Vision end the official statement thanking everyone for the continuous support given to Umehara during his recovery.
Source: Arts Vision
