Lyme disease
Lyme disease or Borreliosis is a potentially serious illness that can develop when bacteria pass from black legged ticks to human. It can cause many symptoms including a bull’s eye rash and joint pain and may result in post Lyme disease syndrome.
It’s an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and in rare cases, Borrelia Mayonii.
Burrelia burgdorferiis transmitted to humans by a bite from an infected black -legged tick also known as a deer tick. These tiny insects become infected after feeding on infected animals such as deer, birds or mice.
Stage of Lyme disease: Lyme disease is typically classified into three stages.
- Step 1: Early localized: This stage occurs 1-28 days after the tick bite.
- Step 2: Early disseminated: This stage may develop 3-12 weeks after the tick bite.
- Stage 3: Late disseminated: This is the most advanced stage of Lyme disease. It may take months or years to develop.
Causes
Lyme disease is an infection caused by a tick bite from an infected tick.
Risk factors
- Having pets that can bring the ticks into the home
People who work outdoors are also at an elevated risk of Lyme disease, including those who work in the following sectors :
- forestry
- landscaping
- construction
- farming
- park or wildlife management
Symptoms
In most Lyme infections one of the first symptoms you’ll notice is a rash. Symptoms can start anywhere from 3 to 30 days after the bite.
Early symptoms commonly seen in stage 1 of Lyme disease include:
- Fever
- Headache
- Chills
- Sore throat
- Fatigue
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Muscle and joint pain
- Vision changes
Later sign and symptoms of Lyme disease
Stage 2 and stage 3 of Lyme disease symptoms
Early disseminated Lyme disease can appear up to 3 months after the tick bite, while late disseminated Lyme disease may take up to 12 months.
Symptoms include:
- Numbness, pain in feet and hand ,tingling
- Meningitis
- severe headache
- Neck stiffness
- Meningitis
- Arthritis
- Memory loss
- Difficulty concentrating
- Sleep disturbance
- Abnormal heart rhythm
- mental fogginess
Lyme disease symptoms in children
- mood changes
- depression
- nightmares
- anger or aggression
Diagnosis
- Physical examination
- Blood test to help detect antibodies
- Western blot
- Enzyme- Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)
Treatment
Treatment for Lyme disease will depend on the progression of the infection.
Early stage
Lyme disease is best treated in the early stages.( oral antibiotics to eliminate the infection .
- amoxicillin
- cefuroxime
- doxycycline
Later stages
- If Lyme disease has progressed beyond stage 1 or affects your circulatory or central nervous systems a doctors may prescribe intravenous (IV) antibiotics. This will then be followed up with an oral regimen. The complete course of treatment usually takes 14 – 28 days.
Prevention
- Give pets anti tick treatment
- Wearing long paint and long sleeve shirts when outdoors
- Using natural insect repellants
- Protecting your clothing with permethrin
- Using insect repellents
- Dry clothes at high temperatures to kill ticks
- Check all gear, cloths and pets for ticks after being outdoors
- Shower after coming in from outside and check for ticks
- Be alert for the symptoms of Lyme disease
Complication
- Neurological problems such as meningitis, cognitive difficulties or encephalitis
- Joints inflammation with large amounts of fluid
- Heart problems such as pericarditis or myocarditis
- Memory problems
- Ocular manifestations
- Lymphocytoma
- Facial paralysis
