Featured Image Credit: Instagram/bellahadid
Topics: Health, Women's Health, Celebrity
Kya Buller
Supermodel Bella Hadid, who has been open about her diagnosis of Lyme Disease since 2023, has shared the symptoms to look out for.
The NHS defines Lyme disease as a 'bacterial infection that can be spread to humans by infected ticks'.
There are a lot of famous faces who suffer from Lyme disease, including Yolanda Hadid (Bella's mother), Justin Bieber, Ben Stiller, Amy Schumer, Shania Twain, Alec Baldwin, Avril Lavigne, Kelly Osbourne, and Riley Keough, to name a few.
As for the sheer number of celebrities contracting the disease, Professor Hunter told MailOnline: "If there is a rich and famous or class bias in this, it's probably because they spend more time walking around in wooded parkland, more money to go out to those areas, or have big homes with these sorts of places.
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"As you're walking along the ticks jump on your legs and crawl their way up... have a blood feast and give you Lyme disease.
"If you go walking in these sorts of places the best thing to do is check, when you get home, that you don't have any ticks on you and if you have remove them safely."
In 2023, Hadid shared a TikTok documenting her experience living with Lyme disease, and specifically how issues with teeth can lead to a Lyme flare up.
She wrote: "There was a low-grade infection underneath the tooth, NEXT to the tooth I thought was suffering (she’s good) which is the one I got a root canal on a year ago.
"It continued to spread down, causing a low grade infection in my jaw. I have felt in my heart for months that I needed this tooth out, to heal the rest, and if not, it was going to take me out! Please listen to your bodies my friends please!!!
"This made my Lyme flare up, which means the Lyme is attacking the places that are suffering ie tooth, jaw, gut, brain, spine, bones, etc oh and the entire nervous system."
Bella continued: "Any minor trauma to the body whether it’s physically or mentally can cause Lyme to flare up. My jaw has been so inflamed, and would flare up/inflame randomly when I was/am overly stressed or over working.
"Lyme flare ups happen all the time, so that doesn’t worry me, it’s more-so the jaw situation and how radiating the pain is especially with the Lyme. Some days okay! and some days are difficult. but when my jaw/nerves started to hurt on an aggressive level; it just went 0-100. And now we’re here!"
The NHS state: "Ticks that may cause Lyme disease are found all over the UK, but high-risk places include grassy and wooded areas in southern and northern England and the Scottish Highlands.
"The chance of getting ill is low. You do not need to do anything else unless you notice a rash or become unwell."
They also confirm that a high number of people do 'get better after antibiotic treatment'. And while this 'can take months for some', 'the symptoms should improve over time'.