Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has disclosed that he suffers from a rare autoimmune disease.

During a visit to Russia over the weekend, the 74-year-old who became president in 2016 told a Philippine community that he suffers from myasthenia gravis, which causes one of his eyelids to droop.

‘One of my eyes is smaller. It roams on its own,’ he said, according to a transcript released Sunday by his office. ‘That’s myasthenia gravis. It’s a nerve malfunction. I got it from my grandfather.’ 

This comes after senior aide Senator Christopher ‘Bong’ Go addressed rumours surrounding his health, saying ‘it’s nothing serious,’ adding the president is ‘conscious of his health’. 

According to the US National Institutes of Health, the condition causes muscle weakness, and can result in drooping of eyelids, blurred vision as well as weakness in one’s extremities.

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