Justin Timberlake has been diagnosed with Lyme disease, the former NSYNC star said on Instagram Thursday.
Timberlake shared the news in a post commemorating his Forget Tomorrow tour, which wrapped in Turkey on Wednesday, adding that the disease "can be relentlessly debilitating, both mentally and physically."
Timberlake, who described himself as a private person, wrote he considered ending the tour when diagnosed, but wrote that he "decided the joy that performing brings me far outweighs the fleeting stress my body was feeling. I'm so glad I kept going.
"I honestly don't know what my future is onstage, but I'll always cherish this run! And all of them before! It's been the stuff of legend for me," Timberlake wrote.
Timberlake canceled and postponed multiple shows throughout the tour's run, citing health issues including bronchitis and laryngitis.
Lyme disease is transmitted by Ixodes ticks, also known as deer ticks. It can cause flu-like conditions, neurological problems, joint paint and other symptoms. In the vast majority of cases, Lyme disease is successfully treated with antibiotics.
Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium often carried by black-legged ticks, also called deer ticks, that live in woodlands throughout North America and Europe.
Exactly how often Lyme disease strikes isn't clear.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cites insurance records suggesting 4,76,000 people are treated for Lyme disease in the US each year.
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