Iggy Azalea accepts the award for favorite rap/hip-hop artist during the 42nd American Music Awards in Los Angeles
IN PHOTO: Iggy Azalea accepts the award for favorite rap/hip-hop artist during the 42nd American Music Awards in Los Angeles, California November 23, 2014. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

Rapper Iggy Azalea was diagnosed with joint dysfunction disorder, or more commonly known as TMJ. The same has been revealed by the rapper herself through her Twitter account.

Azalea greeted her 3.71 million Twitter followers on New Year's eve. What started as a simple holiday greeting soon turned into somethhing more serious as the rapper shared her earlier medical diagnosis. "Last month I was diagnosed with TMJ," she revealed on Twitter this morning.

Also last month I was diagnosed with TMJ which isn't the best.

— IGGY AZALEA (@IGGYAZALEA) December 31, 2014

The rapper has admitted that the stress in her life contributed significantly to her illness. The rapper also declared that she is working on her second album and shared her belief that mental stress takes a huge toll on our bodies. TMJ is a painful condition that restricts mandibular movement. The common symptoms of TMJ include pain in and around the ear, difficulty in chewing and sometimes even lock jaw.

Although the condition is not life-threatening and its seriousness is directly proportional to the amount of pain one experiences, Billboard raised serious concern on its effect on the rapper’s music career. It has been reported that such condition is a major cause of concern for someone who raps for a living.

According to online medical journal WebMD, TMJ is caused by an injury to the jaw area, grinding or clenching one's teeth, arthritis in the joint or stress. Azalea, however, strongly believed that stress is the major culprit for her illness. The Australian rapper had a quite an eventful 2014, which included Grammy nominations and an online feud with Snoop Dog. She recently got involved in another argument with Azalea Banks.

I don't think western medicine all the way acknowledges what a huge toll mental stress takes on our bodies. But I do believe it is a factor. — IGGY AZALEA (@IGGYAZALEA) December 31, 2014

Azalea is a celebrated female rapper who bagged three Grammy nominations this year. Her next album is expected to be titled "Great Escape." This highly anticipated project is pegged as Australia's biggest-selling album of 2015 by online bookmaker sportsbet.com.au. The album is expected to include an updated version of "Reclassified" and hit singles "Black Widow" and Grammy record of the year nominee "Fancy," as reported by Sydney Morning Herald.

Meanwhile, the rapper reportedly joined Fergie, Charli XCX and Jason DeRulo at Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest for a sparkling performance in Los Angeles.

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