Everything We Know About Beyoncé's Sister's Health Issues

Solange Knowles, the sister of the infamous Beyoncé Knowles, revealed she has been diagnosed with several multiple autoimmune diseases. The revelation came as model and recording artist Shaun Ross took to Instagram to share his journey of living with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a disorder that can cause dizziness, fatigue, and an increased heart rate. It has no cure, but can be treated. In Ross' Instagram video, he explained that he developed the syndrome via long COVID. Between 2021 and 2022, after having COVID, the model said he started to get migraines, which he never experienced before, along with blurred vision and other symptoms. 

Ross noted in the Instagram caption for the video that he wasn't looking for sympathy but was hoping to provide information to people who commented on his appearance and weight gain. Several people applauded Ross in the comment section for sharing his story, including the "Bring It On" actress, who left a comment saying, "Sending u so much love and strength Shaun and to all in the comments struggling with the debilitating, confusing, and lonely symptoms of POTS !" Via the comment, Solange explained that she was diagnosed with POTS, Sjögren's disease, and mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) in 2018 and never wanted her health woes to become her identity. 

Sjögren's disease is known for affecting the moisture in one's eyes and mouth and can cause damage to one's nervous system, while people with MCAS usually experience repeated episodes of allergy-like symptoms including swelling, diarrhea, and low blood pressure, among other symptoms.

Solange Knowles' disorders and syndromes have often impacted her career, including in 2018 when the singer had to cancel a New Year's Eve performance at the AfroPunk Fest Johannesburg due to dysautonomia, according to Refinery29. Solange made the announcement via a since-deleted Instagram post, and expressed that her journey with the disorder was not an easy one. "Sometimes I feel cool, and other times not so cool at all. [...] I'm still learning so much myself, but right now, my doctors are not clearing me for such an extended lengthy flight, and doing a rigorous show right after," Solange explained. 

Then, in 2021, when celebrating the two-year anniversary of her album, "When I Get Home," Solange took to Instagram to reveal that she had been "quite literally fighting for my life...in and out of hospitals." She added, "with depleting health and broken spirits asking God to send me a sign I would not only survive, but that if he let me make it out alive, I would step into the light whatever that meant." Irrespective of career lulls and her constant health issues, Solange has been making strides amid everything. In 2024, the actress hosted the second Eldorado Ballroom show, a musical event that features "contemporary and historic innovators whose work has deeply influenced black music and performance," making it her second year hosting the event. Despite sharing about her POTS diagnosis online, Solange has remained private about the details underlying her health matters.