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Bella Hadid is reportedly taking some time away from the spotlight to take care of her health.
According to E! News, Hadid is currently taking time off to deal with her Lyme disease. A source told the outlet that Hadid has been on leave, and hasn’t been in rehab, as some rumors have alleged.
"She is treating her Lyme disease," the source told E! News. "She is not in rehab and has never had a drug or alcohol issue." Hadid announced in March that she stopped drinking alcohol.
The model has been open about her struggle with Lyme, a tick-borne disease that she was diagnosed with in 2012. In April, Hadid said she had a jaw infection that made her Lyme disease flare up. These kinds of flare ups, Hadid wrote, can cause her to experience some distressing symptoms. “I break out randomly, I get (what feels like) lesions, lethargy, chronic anxiety, zero motivation or purpose, leaky gut, adrenals, depressed [sic],” she wrote.
Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria transmitted to humans through tick bites, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Lyme disease can cause symptoms like fever, headache, fatigue, and the “bulls-eye” rash most commonly associated with the infection according to the CDC. Most cases of Lyme are treated with antibiotics, but the CDC notes that some patients experience persistent symptoms even after treatment. “The state of the science relating to persistent symptoms associated with Lyme disease is limited, emerging, and unsettled,” the CDC website says.
During her April health struggles, Hadid said changes to her appearance caused by illness were difficult to deal with. “I hate looking in the mirror or taking pictures especially lately, truly wanting to throw up at the sight of myself constantly,” she wrote at the time.
“Years and years of this,” Hadid continued. “If I'm all dolled up maybe I'll try for the girls, but man is it hard to do this as your profession while also feeling/looking sick like this.”
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