Grammy award-winning pop star Justin Timberlake, 44, recently took to Instagram to share his diagnosis of Lyme disease, a bacterial infection that he said was, “relentlessly debilitating, both mentally and physically.” His statement comes on the heels of criticism from fans who felt he was under-performing during his recent world tour.
“When I first got the diagnosis I was shocked for sure,” the post stated. “But, at least I could understand why I would be onstage and in a massive amount of nerve pain or, just feeling crazy fatigue or sickness.”
Lyme disease is an infectious disease caused by borrelia burgdorferi, a bacterial species that can spread to people and animals from the bite of a deer tick — also called a black-legged tick — carrying the bacteria, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Experts say ticks that carry the bacteria live throughout most of the United States, although the incidence of Lyme disease is far less prevalent in California than it is in the American Northeast, Midwest and mid-Atlantic states. (The disease is named after the town of Lyme, Connecticut, where an outbreak was first identified in the 1970s.)
In California, western black-legged ticks are carriers of Lyme disease and are commonly found in northern coastal counties and in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, according to the California Department of Public Health.
Between 2013 and 2019, there were 904 new cases of Lyme disease in the state. During that time period, the average rates of Lyme disease were highest in Santa Cruz (4 cases per 100,000 people), Humboldt (about 3 cases per 100,000 people) and Sonoma Counties (about 2 cases per 100,000 people).
Lyme disease often goes undiagnosed “due to the breadth and migratory nature of its symptoms—ranging from headaches and fatigue to joint pain, body aches, balance issues, memory loss, myocarditis, anxiety, insomnia, and depression,” the Bay Area Lyme Foundation, a nonprofit that studies the disease, stated in a post on X.
Most people completely recover from the disease when treated with a two- to four-week course of antibiotics. Others have prolonged symptoms of fatigue, body, aches or difficulty thinking, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
How a tick-infected bite leds to Lyme disease
When a bacteria-infected tick bites a person, or animal, the bacteria is released from the mouth of the tick and into the bloodstream, where it can then spread throughout the body, according to Bay Area Lyme Foundation.
If a tick becomes attached to your skin, the CDC recommends you remove it as soon as possible. Consult your health care provider if you show any symptoms of the disease.
Symptoms of lyme disease
Your body’s reaction to the infection varies from person to person and symptoms show up in stages. Some people with Lyme disease don’t have symptoms in the early stages of the infection, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Common symptoms of Lyme disease are fever, rash, facial paralysis, an irregular heartbeat, and arthritis. These symptoms can happen in stages.
During the first stage, which occurs 3 to 30 days after a tick bite, a person can develop a circular rash around the site of the bite. The rash can become clear in the center, and resemble a target or bull’s-eye.
During this first stage, infected people can experience a fever, headache, extreme tiredness, joint stiffness, muscle aches and pains or swollen lymph nodes.
In the second stage, which occurs three to 10 weeks after a bite, symptoms can escalate. They include:
- Rashes on other parts of the body
- Neck pain or stiffness
- Muscle weakness on one or both sides of the face
- Immune-system activity in heart tissue that causes irregular heartbeats
- Pain that starts from the back and hips and spreads to the legs
- Pain, numbness or weakness in the hands or feet
- Painful swelling in tissues of the eye or eyelid
- Immune-system activity in the eye nerves that causes pain or vision loss
Symptoms in the third stage of the disease, which begins two to 12 months after a tick bite, include arthritis in large joints, particularly the knees. Pain, swelling or stiffness may last for a long time or can come and go.
People with prolonged symptoms of Lyme disease, called Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome, usually get better over time without additional antibiotics, but it can take many months to feel completely well, according to the CDC.
The cause of pro-longed symptoms is currently unknown.
Be aware of a tick’s home, how to protect yourself
Ticks are commonly found in outdoor areas with grass, shrubs, rocks, logs and fallen leaves.
You don’t have to avoid these areas, but should instead wear protective clothing to prevent a tick from latching onto your skin.
Before you go on your outdoor activity, plan to wear long-sleeve shirts and pants. With your protective clothes on, apply insect repellent to garments and exposed skin, according to the state public health department.
During your hike, check yourself and any pets for ticks that might be crawling on you. If you do see a tick, remove it right away.
When you return home from your excursion, inspect your clothes, body and scalp for any ticks. Toss the tick-free clothes in the laundry and take a shower.
If you found a tick on your clothes put clothing items in a hot dryer for 10 minutes, that will kill the insect.
The California Department of Public Health recommends you continue to check your body for any sign of ticks for three days after being outside in areas where ticks reside.