After two years of international tour, Justin Timberlake took the time to write a long message on Instagram. A form of thanks? Not only. The artist reveals information hitherto unknown and intimate: he suffers from Lyme disease, which explains his recent drop in energy.
Nervous pain throughout its tour
“I am a rather discreet person. But (…) I want to tell you about what happened to me. I fought against certain health problems and I was diagnosed with Lyme disease”, he writes. Undoubtedly in response to fans who reproached a lack of enthusiasm on the Forget Tomorrow Tour. Before explaining: “If you have already suffered from this disease (…) You know that living with maybe extremely debilitating, both mentally and physically. But at least I understood why I felt intense nervous pain on stage. “
“It was the most fun, most moving, most gratifying, mostly physically demanding and sometimes the most trying experience”, he admits.
Justin Timberlake victim of what is today called a Lyme Long
Lyme disease or Lyme borreliosis is known today. It is an infectious disease due to a bacteria from the complex Borrelia Burgdorferi Sensu Lato Transmitted to humans by infected tick stings. But according to Christelle Dumas-Gonnet, president of France Lyme, it seems obvious that Justin Timberlake is now affected by the long version of the affection.
“It is important to point out, because an acute Lyme and a long Lyme are two different attacks.” In the majority of cases, indeed if you are stung by a tick, you have a migrant erythema, you take an antibiotic and in 10 to 14 days, you are healed. “”That is to say, you will no longer hear about the disease. ” But since February 2025, the High Authority for Health has recognized a “long” Lyme. “”She says that 6 to 20% of people who have had an acute Lyme disease develop long, persistent, severe symptoms, despite the first -line antibiotic therapy, and that is called a Lyme long. “
Multiple attacks, possible and tiring
This long version, finally, mismanously recognized for patients on a daily basis, as we learn from Christelle Dumas-Gonnet. “Today, research must move forward to understand better, but at this stage, a long Lyme can induce cognitive disorders, that is to say that you have trouble concentrating, remembering small things of everyday life, migraines, joint pain, paraesthesia, that is to say have the members who swarm, or even paralysis.”
Transitional impacts, or not. And fatigue, understandable who comes to impact the lives and work of affected people. “”So Justin, on a stage for three hours a night, on tour, it should not be easy. “
Welcome word to break a taboo
If today, in France alone a symptomatic management remains possible (France prohibits any treatment other than painkillers, adapted physical activity, and cognitive-behavioral therapy) The speech of the American artist is an advance.
The word of Timberlake, or Bella Hadid before, suddenly legitimizes the suffering of all French, American and world patients. “”Because we did not understand what was going on, we have long minimized things, and answered patients your long symptoms, there, it’s in your head. As is the case with a lot of illness that is difficult to describe“Reproaches the president.
The good news is that between the recent recognition of affection and the speech (welcome) of people affected, patients with long Lyme, can today hope for better care. “What we ask now is that we can offer something other than doliprane and adapted physical activity. And that we really recognize the suffering of the Lyme Lyme carrier”.