Bella Hadid Sparks Concern With Hospital Photos—Understanding Lyme Disease Relapse

Supermodel Bella Hadid has shared pictures of herself lying in a hospital bed in her latest social media post – sparking concerns over her health. The 28-year-old, who was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2012, has always been open about her health struggles since then. Bella turned to Instagram with a caption that read, “I’m sorry, I always go MIA. I love you guys.” The post comes amid Bella’s discussions about the difficulties of living with Lyme disease – a bacterial infection transmitted by the bite of infected blacklegged deer ticks. Doctors say if not treated properly, Lyme disease spreads to other body parts – leading to neurological issues, arthritis, and even heart problems in later life. In the pictures, Bella can be seen lying in bed,

hooked up to multiple IV bags and sweating with a cloth across her forehead. While she did not disclose the real reason behind her hospitalisation, Bella’s mother, Yolanda, wrote “Lyme warrior” as a reply to the post.

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What is Lyme disease?

Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, which you can get if an infected deer tick – also known as the black-legged tick – bites you. According to experts, ordinary "wood ticks" and "dog ticks" do not carry the infection. The first recognition of Lyme disease, also called borreliosis, began in 1975 when many children received a diagnosis of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis in Lyme, Connecticut, in the United States. Researchers found that bites from infected deer ticks were responsible for the outbreak of arthritis. In the US, around 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) every year, and doctors say there are a large number of other diagnosed cases that are not reported.

Signs and symptoms of Lyme disease

A few signs and symptoms of early Lyme disease typically include:

• A reddish rash all over your body, known as erythema migrans, which starts as a small red spot at the site of the tick bite, anywhere from one week after to four weeks after the bite
• High fever
• Severe headache
• Stiff neck
• Body and joint aches
• Fatigue
• Swollen lymph nodes or glands
• Paralysis of facial muscles
• Heart block or an interruption of the electrical system of your heart
• Areas of numbness or abnormal feelings

Signs and symptoms of untreated late Lyme disease, which may happen from months to a year after infection, may include:

• Recurring episodes of swollen joints, which typically affect large joints like the knee.
• Difficulty concentrating – also known as brain fog, which is a form of encephalopathy or damage to the brain.
• Damage to nerves all over your body, including your skin, muscles, and organs.

Post-treatment relapse of Lyme disease

According to experts, despite proper treatment, many people – around 5 to 15 per cent may experience lingering fatigue, achiness, or headaches. This is known as post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome or PTLDS. Doctors say the symptoms may continue to cause trouble, but that does not mean you still have the infection. PTLDS does not respond to additional antibiotics, but the symptoms do resolve at a later stage.