Berühmt oder stinknormal, Borreliose kann jeden treffen. Komisch, die harmlose und seltene Borreliose hat auch Richard Gere im Jahr 2000 erwischt

Berühmt oder stinknormal, Borreliose kann jeden treffen. Komisch, die harmlose und seltene Borreliose hat auch Richard Gere im Jahr 2000 erwischt. Freunden gegenüber sagte er, "Es ist eine ganz schreckliche Krankheit, ich konnte nicht mal den Kopf vom Kissen heben. Ich dachte ich sterbe! Ich hatte großes Glück rechtzeitig diagnostiziert worden zu sein und mit starken Antibiotika ausreichend behandelt worden zu sein." Fazit Borreliose ist NICHT selten und keineswegs harmlos. ACTOR Richard Gere feared he would die after contracting a potentially fatal disease that confined him to bed a for a week. He was left too weak to move as he was stricken by Lyme disease, an infection caused by the bite of deer ticks, which causes a rash, chills, fever and pains in the joints. It can also lead to facial paralysis. Gere, 50, who became a father in February when girlfriend Carey Lowell gave birth to their son Homer, was lucky to be diagnosed quickly and treated with powerful antibiotics, said friends. He became ill last month, just as he was about to start promoting his new film Autumn in New York in which Winona Ryder plays his terminally- ill girlfriend. “Richard told me he thought he was going to die,” a friend revealed. “He said: ‘I felt so terrible I wished I was dead’.” Gere told friends: “This is one scary disease. I felt as though every ounce of strength had gone from my body. Within hours I could barely lift my head from the pillow. Just turning my head to see the time on the clock was a major operation. I felt as if my life was going in slow motion. When I realised I was coming out of it, a wave of relief just swept over me.” The friend added: “His doctors recognised the signs almost right away. When they quizzed him they realised he had been exposed to deer ticks. He’s completely OK now but he’s thanking his doctors and his lucky stars that he pulled through.” Dr John Masaab, professor of infectious diseases at the University of Michigan, said Lyme disease can be fatal. “If the victim has an existing condition or is elderly, it can cause a variety of potentially deadly situations in particular pneumonia, because the immune system becomes so depressed.”It really depends on when the disease is detected, but it can take a tremendous toll on the body.” LIZ HODGSON -Express Newspapers, 2000 20 August, 2000