Update: Justin Bieber confirmed the reports circulating about his Lyme disease diagnosis on his Instagram.
He captioned the photo, "While a lot of people kept saying Justin Bieber looks like shit, on meth etc. they failed to realize I've been recently diagnosed with Lyme disease, not only that but had a serious case of chronic mono which affected my, skin, brain function, energy, and overall health. These things will be explained further in a docu series I'm putting on YouTube shortly.. you can learn all that I've been battling and OVERCOMING!! It's been a rough couple years but getting the right treatment that will help treat this so far incurable disease and I will be back and better than ever NO CAP."
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Original story: Justin Bieber had a pretty busy 2019. He had not one, but two weddings with model Hailey Bieber, continued growing his street-style fashion line called House of Drew, released a new single, Yummy, and ended off the year hot with the announcement of a new album, a world tour, and a Netflix documentary. Behind the scenes, though, Bieber's 2019 was also allegedly dealing with some health issues.
TMZ and other outlets are reporting that the Sorry singer has been quietly battling Lyme disease. This information is reportedly set to be revealed in his upcoming documentary, Seasons, which will premier on January 27 at 12:00 p.m. ET.
Lyme is an infectious disease that's spread by ticks carrying the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. According to the Government of Canada website, the number of Lyme disease cases reported by all provinces increased from 144 in 2009 to 992 in 2016. More than 88% of the cases reported were from Ontario and Québec while Nova Scotia reported the highest incidence int he country at 12.7 times the national average.
The most common sign of Lyme disease is a red, bullseye-shaped rash that occurs at the site of your infection (i.e., where your tick bite was). Only around 70% to 80% of Lyme disease cases have this symptom, so you'll want to look out for other flu-like symptoms, such as fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes.
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Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics if caught early, but may become dangerous if immediate medical attention isn't sought out. Over the course of weeks and even months, if not taken care of, symptoms can escalate to severe headaches, muscle stiffness, irregular heartbeat, inflammation, chronic nerve pain, and more.
Refinery29 has reached out to Bieber's rep for comment.
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