What Is Lyme Disease? Why Do Celebrities Catch Lyme Disease So Easily?

Reddit co-founder and Serena William’s husband, Alexis Ohanian, has been bitten by a black-legged tick known as a deer tick. He has joined the likes of some other celebrities like Yolanda Hadid, Bella Hadid, Justin Beiber, Ben Stiller and comic Amy Schumer, who suffered from infamous Lyme disease caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdoferi, transmitted to humans through the bite of a deer tick. It is noted that not all deer tick bites carry the bacterium, but it can likely cause this disease. So, what is Lyme disease, and why are celebrities vulnerable to this disease so quickly?

Lyme disease was first discovered in 1975 when a group of children in Connecticut suffered from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Researchers found that it was caused by a bacterium called borreliosis, transmitted through deer ticks.

Different Stages of Lyme Disease

Like many other bacterial diseases, Lyme disease may evolve through various stages, which can be overlapped and may involve the nervous system, joints, and skin.

• During the first four weeks, the disease is in the early localized stage.
• From the second month, the early disseminated Lyme disease stage starts.
• After four months, even in some cases up to years later, the late disseminated or late persistent stage continues.

Signs and Symptoms of Lyme Disease

Early Signs and Symptoms (3 to 30 days after tick bite)

• Erythema Migrans (EM) rash is a common system of Lyme disease. The patient has a circular and expanding rash, which usually occurs at the site of a tick bite and can also appear on other parts of the body.
  
  
• In the early stage, the patient suffers from mild fever, chills, fatigue, muscle and joint pain and chills. It looks like flu, but it should not be ignored, and ordinary antiviral drugs will not work.

Later Signs and Symptoms (days to months after tick bite)

• In the later stage, the rash rapidly spreads across the whole body. In addition, the patient suffers from severe headaches, facial palsy, numbness in the hands and feet and memory problems.
  
  
• Another prevalent symptom is arthritis-type pain and swelling in joints.

FYI

If left untreated, Lyme disease can lead to chronic symptoms such as Lyme arthritis, chronic neurological problems, and post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS), also known as chronic Lyme disease, which can cause ongoing fatigue, pain, and cognitive issues.

Why Do Celebrities Catch Lyme Disease So Easily?

Lyme disease is predominantly American. There are enough forest areas, woods, and outdoor areas that have inhabited black-legged ticks or deer ticks. Many Hollywood and American celebrities spend lots of time in the wilder outdoor areas. The wooded parklands are more often visited by celebrities where ticks reside. Also, they can afford big homes in these kinds of outdoor settings, which are also home to black-legged ticks.

It is often ignored to check the legs, hands, and exposed body parts to see if there are any ticks on them. After walking in the woodlands or forest areas, some pathogens or ticks likely get attached to the body.

Doctors describe testing for Lyme disease as a multifaceted issue, often deemed controversial. Health authorities may not acknowledge certain tests provided by private clinics. Healthcare professionals have cautioned that some clinics may be diagnosing Lyme disease based on patient demand, whether the symptoms are genuine or perceived. This trend is mainly observed among individuals experiencing persistent ‘chronic’ Lyme disease symptoms that linger over an extended period.

In January 2000, Justin Beiber was diagnosed with Lyme disease, which affected his skin, brain function, energy and overall health.

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