Lyme Disease, Causes, Symptoms and Treatment!
Lyme Disease Overview:
What is Lyme Disease?
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection you get from the bite of an infected tick. The first symptom is usually a red rash, which may look like a bull’s eye. But not all people with Lyme disease have a rash. As the infection spreads to other parts of the body, you may have:
- Fever.
- A headache.
- Body aches.
- A stiff neck.
- Fatigue.
Lyme disease can be hard to diagnose because many of its symptoms are like those of the flu and other diseases. And you may not have noticed a tick bite. Your health care provider will look at your symptoms and medical history to figure out whether you have Lyme disease. Lab tests may not always give a clear answer until you have been infected for at least a few weeks.
Antibiotics can cure most cases of Lyme disease. The sooner treatment begins, the quicker and more complete the recovery.
After Treatment,
Some patients may still have muscle or joint aches and nervous system symptoms. This is called post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS). Long-term antibiotics have not been shown to help with PTLDS. However, there are ways to help with the symptoms of PTLDS, and most patients do get better over time.
How You Get Lyme Disease?
- Lyme disease can be transmitted by the bite of a tick infected with Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria.
- Ticks don’t jump or fly, but climb on to your clothes or skin if you brush against something they’re on.
- They then bite into the skin and start to feed on your blood.
- Being bitten doesn’t mean you’ll definitely be infected as not all ticks carry Lyme-causing bacteria.
Generally,
You’re more likely to become infected if the tick remains attached to your skin for more than 24 hours. But ticks are very small and their bites are not painful, so you may not realize you have one attached to your skin. It is a good idea to check yourself (or each other) for ticks after walking through high-risk areas such as woodland or long grass.
Removing Ticks:
If you do get bitten by a tick:
- Remove it as soon as possible to reduce any potential risk.
- The safest way to remove a tick is to use a pair of fine-tipped tweezers or a tick removal tool.
- Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible.
- Pull upwards slowly and firmly, as mouthparts left in the skin can cause local irritation.
- Clean the bite area with antiseptic or soap and water and keep an eye on it for several weeks for any changes.
A small red circular patch may appear soon after a tick bite and persist for a few days; this is normal. If the red patch does not disappear within a couple of weeks or begins to spread outwards, it may indicate Lyme disease and you should contact your Doctor for advice.
Signs And Symptoms:
Early Signs and Symptoms (3 to 30 days after tick bite)
- Fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes.
- Erythema migrans (EM) rash:
- Occurs in approximately 70 to 80 percent of infected persons.
- Begins at the site of a tick bite after a delay of 3 to 30 days (average is about 7 days).
- Expands gradually over a period of days reaching up to 12 inches or more (30 cm) across.
- May feel warm to the touch but is rarely itchy or painful.
- Sometimes clears as it enlarges, resulting in a target or “bulls-eye” appearance.
- May appear on any area of the body.
Later Signs and Symptoms (days to months after tick bite):
- Severe headaches and neck stiffness.
- Additional EM rashes on other areas of the body.
- Arthritis with severe joint pain and swelling, particularly the knees and other large joints.
- Facial palsy (loss of muscle tone or droop on one or both sides of the face).
- Intermittent pain in tendons, muscles, joints, and bones.
- Heart palpitations or an irregular heartbeat (Lyme carditis).
- Episodes of dizziness or shortness of breath.
- Inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.
- Nerve pain.
- Shooting pains, numbness, or tingling in the hands or feet.
- Problems with short-term memory.
When to See Your Doctor:
You should see your doctor promptly if you feel unwell with any of the symptoms described above after being bitten by a tick, or if you think you may have been bitten. Remember to let your doctor know if you’ve spent time in areas where ticks may live. This includes woodland, grassland, heaths, and urban parks and gardens or allotments. Take this leaflet with you if you are unsure of what to say.
Complications:
Untreated Lyme disease can cause:
- Chronic joint inflammation (Lyme arthritis).
- Heart rhythm irregularities.
- Neurological symptoms, such as facial palsy and neuropathy.
- Cognitive defects, such as impaired memory.
Diagnosis of Lyme Disease:
Diagnosing Lyme disease is often difficult as many of the symptoms are similar to other conditions. A spreading erythema migrans rash appearing some days after a known tick bite should be treated with appropriate antibiotics.
- If you don’t have a characteristic rash but do have other symptoms of Lyme disease, blood tests can be carried out.
- Blood tests can be negative in the early stages of the infection.
- You may need to be re-tested if Lyme disease is still suspected 4-6 weeks after a first negative test result.
Treatment:
Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics. In most cases, people bitten by a tick are only given antibiotics if they are sick or have a rash. If you are bitten by a tick but don’t get sick or get a rash, you don’t need antibiotics.
A. Early-Stage:
Lyme disease responds very well to treatment. In most cases, taking an antibiotic for 2 to 4 weeks kills the bacteria and clears up the infection. Your doctor will tell you how long to take the antibiotic. It’s important to take all the medicine your doctor prescribes.
This will prevent the spread of Lyme disease to your joints, nervous system, or heart. If you have problems with the medicine, do not quit taking it. Call your doctor and talk to him or her about your side effects.
B. Late-Stage:
Lyme disease is also treated with antibiotics. It may be necessary to give the antibiotics intravenously (through an IV) at this stage. Medicine that reduces swelling and pain can ease arthritis associated with late-stage Lyme disease. If necessary, excess fluid can be drained from any affected joints.
Why Are Antibiotics The First Line of Treatment For Lyme Disease?
The use of antibiotics is critical for treating Lyme disease. Without antibiotic treatment, the Lyme bacteria can evade the host immune system and persist in the body for long periods of time.
- Antibiotics go into the bacteria preferentially and either stop the multiplication of the bacteria (doxycycline) or disrupt the cell wall of the bacteria and kill the bacteria (penicillins).
- By stopping the growth or killing the bacteria the host immune response is given a leg up to eradicate the residual infection.
- Without antibiotics, the infection in Lyme disease can more readily persist and disseminate.
The Side Effects of Lyme Disease Treatments:
Antibiotics, like all medications, have the potential for side effects.
- Any antibiotic can cause skin rashes and if an itchy red rash develops while on antibiotics, a patient should see their physician.
- Sometimes symptoms worsen for the first few days on an antibiotic.
- This is called a Herxheimer reaction and occurs when the antibiotics start to kill the bacteria.
In the first 24 to 48 hours,
these dead bacteria stimulate the immune system to release inflammatory cytokines and chemokines that can cause increased fever and achiness.
- This should be transient and last no more than a day or two after the initiation of antibiotics.
- The most common side effect of the penicillin antibiotics is diarrhea, and occasionally even serious cases caused by the bacteria Clostridium difficile.
- This bacterial overgrowth condition occurs because antibiotics kill the good bacteria in our gut.
- It is helpful to use probiotics to restore the good bacteria and microbiome balance.
Prognosis:
The prognosis after treatment of Lyme disease is generally very good. The majority of people are treated with antibiotics and return to their normal health. The prognosis is best when Lyme disease is diagnosed and treated early and worsens when diagnosis and treatment are delayed.
Most patients with early Lyme disease infection recover with antibiotics and return to their normal state of health. Unfortunately, however, a subgroup of patients suffers from ongoing symptoms even after the standard of care antibiotic therapy. This condition is called Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS).
Living With Lyme Disease:
Most people treated in the early stages of Lyme disease make a quick and complete recovery. Some may experience symptoms for a few weeks after treatment.
- If you were treated for Lyme disease but you still don’t feel well, call your family doctor.
- He or she can make sure there isn’t something else wrong.
- They can help you find ways to ease your symptoms.
- Some patients have found relief with treatments typically used for chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia.
Things To Do:
Other things you can do to help manage Lyme disease include:
- Educate yourself: There is a lot of inaccurate information to be sorted through, especially on the internet. Ask your doctor if you have questions.
- Track your symptoms: Keep a diary of your sleep patterns, eating habits, exercise routines, and how you’re feeling. You or your doctor may be able to make connections between them.
- Take care of yourself: Eat a healthy diet. Exercise as regularly as you can. Get plenty of rest.
- Find support: It can be hard to not feel well and not know why. Some people may think your symptoms aren’t real. Talk to friends and family. If they can’t offer support, talk with a counselor who can help you.
Caution:
Beware of internet sites offering alternative diagnostic tests and treatments that may not be supported by scientific evidence or be appropriate.
Prevention of Lyme Disease:
The first line of defense is decreasing the probability of tick bites. Ticks can be vectors of other infections, in addition to Lyme disease.
- Avoidance of tick habitat (brushy, overgrown grassy, and woody areas) particularly in spring and early summer when young ticks feed.
- Removal of leaves, tall grass, and brush from areas around work areas or residential areas to decrease tick as well as host (deer and rodent) habitat.
- Check yourself, your children and your pets for ticks, Be especially vigilant after spending time in wooded or grassy areas. Deer ticks are often no bigger than the head of a pin.
- Application of tick-toxic chemicals to surrounding work or residential areas in accordance with federal, state, and local regulations and community standards.
Personal Protection:
- Wearing light-colored clothing (to more easily see ticks).
- And long-sleeved shirts, tucking pant legs into socks or boots (delays ticks from reaching skin so they can be more easily found before attaching).
- Wearing high boots or closed shoes covering the entire foot.
- Wearing a hat.
- Using appropriate insect repellants on the non-facial skin and permethrin on clothes (kills ticks) in accordance with Environmental Protection Agency guidelines.
- Showering and washing/drying clothes at high temperature after outdoor exposure.
- Doing a careful body check for ticks, prompt removal with tweezers and skin cleansing with antiseptic.
Also,
- Workers at risk should be advised of the signs and symptoms of Lyme disease, as well as the primary and secondary preventive measures for this disease.
- Those who are at increased risk for Lyme disease should obtain medical advice regarding the applicability of the Lyme disease vaccine.
- those who have symptoms of suspected tick-borne infection should seek medical attention early.
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Disclaimer: “Nothing in this article makes any claim to offer cures or treatment of any disease or illness. If you are sick please consult with your doctor.”
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