Alec Baldwin has been open about his experience with Lyme disease, calling years of recurring symptoms following tick bites.
In 2011, the 30 Rock star initially disclosed about the diagnosis and later shared several details about the illness that posed a great affect on his health.
Here are some things to know about Baldwin’s Lyme disease experience.
1. Baldwin Was bitten by ticks
Baldwin stated he was bitten by a tick nearly 17 years ahead of publicly discussing his experience in 2017.
The Saturday Night Live artist recalled being bitten again following some years later.
He connected those experiences with recurring Lyme disease related symptoms.
2. His symptoms returned over some years
In 2017, the Match Game hitmaker opened up about his experience of “classic Lyme disease” symptoms during successive summers for nearly five years.
He recalled flu-like symptoms, heavy sweating, exhaustion and periods when he was confined to bed.
3. He once feared the disease could kill him
Baldwin called his first severe episode particularly frightening. He stated he was alone and became convinced that he may die while lying sick in bed.
His account underscored how severely the illness affected him at the time.
4. His experience raised awareness
Baldwin has utilised his public profile to discuss Lyme disease and participated in events supporting research into the illness.
He was open about taking precautions to secure his family from tick bites while living in an area where ticks are common.
5. Lyme disease can cause prolonged symptoms
Lyme disease is caused by bacteria transmitted via infected blacklegged tick bites.
As per CDC, mostly individuals recover with proper antibiotic treatment, although several experience prolonged fatigue, body aches or difficulty thinking after treatment.
Baldwin’s experience has kept Lyme disease part of the broader conversation nearly tick-borne illnesses and the prolonged effects several patients report.
