"I'm lucky to be alive" - Ashton Kutcher on battling rare autoimmune disease

Hollywood actor Ashton Kutcher said he is “lucky to be alive” after battling an autoimmune disorder that left him temporarily deaf, blind and unable to walk.

The surprising revelation surfaced from an upcoming National Geographic episode of Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge.

"Like two years ago, I had this weird, super rare form of vasculitis, that like knocked out my vision, it knocked out my hearing, it knocked out like all my equilibrium.

"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 going be able to hear again, I don't know if I'm going to be able to walk again. I'm lucky to be alive,” he said.

Shortly after the clip went viral, the No Strings Attached actor took to Twitter to post an update on his health.

“Before there are a bunch of rumors/ chatter/ whatever out there. “Yes, I had a rare vasculitis episode 3yrs ago. (Autoimmune flair up) I had some impairments hear, vision, balance issues right after. I fully recovered. All good. Moving on. See you at the 2022 NY Marathon w/Thorn," he tweeted.

According to MyHealth portal, vasculitis occurs when the body's immune system attacks veins, arteries and small capillaries.

The rare disorder can be caused by an infection, medications, blood disorders or autoimmune diseases such as systematic lupus erythematosus.

Vasculitis can affect any organ such as skin, kidney, lung, gastrointestinal tract and brain. The skin is usually the first noticeable sign of vasculitis.

Other symptoms can include fever, nausea, vomiting, joint and muscle pain, breathlessness, blood in urine, blood in faeces, abdominal pain, numbness in hand and feet.

The treatment typically depends on the severity of the disease and the organs involved.