Tommy Hilfiger’s daughter left in ‘excruciating pain’ because of Lyme disease

Ally Hilfiger says she was repeatedly misdiagnosed by doctors

Tommy and Ally Hilfiger at the Global Lyme Alliance Inaugural Gala in New York last week (AP)

Tommy Hilfiger’s daughter has joined a number of high figures describing their struggle to be diagnosed with Lyme disease.

Ally Hilfiger said her symptoms were so “excruciating” that she resorted to using a walking stick to aid her mobility.

Lyme disease spreads to humans by infected ticks and causes symptoms such as tiredness, muscle pain and headaches, making it hard to diagnose. It affects between 2,000 and 3,000 people each year.

The 30-year-old told the Daily Mail she was bitten by an infected tick as a child, but was not correctly diagnosed until she was 21-years-old because her symptoms mimicked flu or exhaustion.

"I couldn't put lotion on my legs because it felt as if I was being beaten with a baseball bat,” she said. “I was like an 80-year-old woman.”

The model Bella Hadid and her family's struggle with Lyme disease was revealed by her mother last week.

Similarly, John Caudwell was left “devastated” after almost every member of his immediate family was diagnosed with Lyme in September. The billionaire Phone 4 U Founder is setting up a team to research the disease.

The singer Avril Lavigne has spoken extensively about her own diagnosis and the difficulty she faced in being accurately diagnosed by doctors who believed she was depressed or suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.