Lyme disease sufferer, 72, develops never-before-seen complication that could have ruptured a major artery and killed him
- Pensioner, from Portugal, went to A&E with sudden excruciating pains in chest
- Tests revealed Lyme infection had made its way to main artery after tick bite
- Inflamed his aorta and the major artery started to tear – risking internal bleeding
A man almost suffered a ruptured artery from a never-before-seen complication of Lyme disease – the illness Justin Bieber was recently diagnosed with.
The unidentified 72-year-old went to hospital with excruciating pains in his chest, extremely low blood pressure, nausea, and cold hands and feet.
Scans revealed he had an inflamed aorta, the main artery that carries blood away from the heart. Doctors said it had started to close.
It had made it difficult for the Portuguese man’s blood to circulate, which triggered the slew of nasty side effects he suffered.
After a series of blood tests, it was found the bacteria borrelia burgdorferi – which causes Lyme – had made its way through the bloodstream to his aorta.
This came as a shock to medics because it had never been reported in medical literature before.
Justin Bieber last week announced he was diagnosed with Lyme, which more commonly causes fever, headaches and fatigue
The Sorry singer made the announcement after trolls told him he ‘looked like sh*t’. He believes his depression had been caused by the tick-borne infection
A 72-year-old almost suffered a ruptured artery due to a never-before-seen complication of Lyme disease. It’s thought he was bitten while out hunting near his countryside home in Portugal
Doctors believe the patient, from Castelo Branco, had been bitten by a tic while out hunting.
He lived in the countryside and admitted coming into contact with shooting dogs, known carriers of ticks, the previous week.
It’s thought that after contracting infection, harmful bacteria travelled through the bloodstream into his arteries.
They tested the patient for measles, HIV and syphilis before diagnosing him with Lyme disease.
Justin Bieber was diagnosed with Lyme Disease in early 2020.
The 25-year-old made the revelation on Instagram after trollssaid he ‘looks like sh*t’ and accused him of being ‘on meth’.
The Sorry star allegedly said he had felt severely depressed for much of 2019, but it wasn’t until later in the year that his doctors realized he was suffering from Lyme disease.
It’s unclear exactly when or where Bieber contracted the disease.
Country legend Shania Twain had to retrain her voice after she developed dysphonia – affects the muscles of the larynx – as a result of the Lyme disease she contracted during her 2003 Up! tour.
In response to rumours she was in rehab, Sk8er Boi singer Avril Lavigne revealed she actually spent five months bedridden as a result of Lyme disease in 2015.
Avril even said she ‘accepted death’ when she could ‘feel her body shutting down’. Now recovered, she reflects on the period as a ‘battle of a lifetime’.
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Yolanda Hadid has been battling Lyme disease remissions for years after finally being diagnosed in 2012. Doctors previously thought it was ME.
And her daughter Bella Hadid, who models for Victoria’s Secret, also suffers from the ‘invisible illness’ and has said she does not know what it is like to wake up without bone pain or brain fog.
Hollywood actor Ben Stiller was diagnosed in 2010. Although symptom free, he has said it ‘never leaves your system’.
He was given a three-week course of antibiotics and came in for monitoring every week.
But two months later doctors spotted a tear in his aorta that was at risk of rupturing and causing deadly internal bleeding.
Medics were forced to operate and implant a tiny prosthesis that sealed shut the artery.
A year later he made a full recovery and was ‘carrying out his daily activities’, doctors said.
The tale was revealed in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) Case Reports by medics from who treated him at the Unidade Local de Saude de Castelo Branco.
Bieber last week announced he was diagnosed with Lyme, which more commonly causes fever, headaches and fatigue.
The 25-year-old singer slammed trolls who had previously said he ‘looks like sh*t’ and accused him of being ‘on meth’ in a candid post on his Instagram.
He added he had also been struggling with ‘mono’, which is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus.
He wrote last Wednesday: ‘While a lot of people kept saying Justin Bieber looks like sh*t, 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.’
The Sorry star allegedly said he had felt severely depressed for much of 2019, but it wasn’t until later in the year that his doctors realized he was suffering from Lyme disease.
It’s unclear exactly when or where Bieber contracted the disease, which has also afflicted Bella Hadid, Shania Twain and Avril Lavigne.
The most common symptoms of the disease are fever, headache, fatigue and a skin rash called erythema migrans.
The disease can typically be treated by several weeks of oral antibiotics. But if left untreated, the infection can spread to the joints, heart and nervous symptoms where it becomes deadly.
WHAT IS LYME DISEASE?
Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria that is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected black-legged ticks.
The most common symptoms of the disease are fever, headache, fatigue and a skin rash called erythema migrans.
The disease can typically be treated by several weeks of oral antibiotics.
But if left untreated, the infection can spread to the joints, heart and nervous symptoms and be deadly.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ARE INFECTED?
During the first three to 30 days of infection, these symptoms may occur:
- Fever
- Chills
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Muscle and joint aches
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Erythema migrans (EM) rash
The rash occurs in approximately 80 per cent of infected people.
It can expand to up to 12 inches (30 cm), eventually clearing and giving off the appearance of a target or a ‘bull’s-eye’.
Later symptoms of Lyme disease include:
- Severe headaches and neck stiffness
- Additional rashes
- Arthritis with joint pain and swelling
- Facial or Bell’s palsy
- Heart palpitations
- Problems with short-term memory
- Nerve pain
Source: CDC
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