CHICAGO - The conversation around Lyme disease is intensifying after pop star Justin Timberlake revealed his personal battle with the illness, bringing renewed attention to a chronic condition that experts say is often misunderstood and underdiagnosed.

Dr. Eboni Cornish, medical director at Amen Clinics and board member of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS), says Lyme disease has become an "epidemic," with potentially hundreds of thousands of patients misdiagnosed each year.

While the disease is commonly associated with deer ticks, Cornish noted it can also be transmitted by fleas and even passed from mother to fetus.

Testing Troubles and Missed Diagnoses

What we know:

Lyme disease is most treatable when caught early, but Cornish says current standard blo

See Full Page