Introduction to Lyme disease

Lyme disease can be defined as an infection caused by some form of bacteria (germs) called a spirochete. The disease is conveyed by deer ticks and western black-legged ticks (detected mostly around the Pacific Coast ). The tick spreads the disease to animals and humans by tick bites. Such responsible ticks are, in measurement, about that of one sesame seed.

In US, the lyme disease is very common in rural and suburbs in the Northeastern and Midwestern states. Lyme disease is also detected in other parts of the US , as well as in Europe, Asia and Australia .

The symptoms of Lyme disease

One typical sign of Lyme disease is a rash that appears from 3 to 30 days after tick biting. The rash, known as erythema migrans generally begins at the site of the tick bite. It might begin as small red spots and grow bigger. The center might fade; creating a bull's eye or ring look, but this is not always the case. Some people suffering from such condition have plenty of red spots. The rashes might burn, hurt or itch, or one may not feel this.

Other symptoms of Lyme disease admit fevers, chill, headache, stiffened neck, tiredness, muscle pains and joint pain. In a few people, early Lyme disease can spread to the cardiac muscles and/or the nervous system. If Lyme disease travels to the heart, the person might feel irregular or slow heartbeats. Early spread of Lyme disease to the nervous system causes the face to saggy (a condition is known as Bell's palsy).

The complications of Lyme disease

If Lyme disease is left untouched, it can spread to other sites of the body. The symptoms of late Lyme disease include arthritis (tender and inflamed joints) and nervous system diseases. Lyme arthritis often affects only one of the large joints like the knee. Sometimes it might affect more than one joint and the symptoms of the nervous system disease because of late Lyme disease might include trouble to concentrate, loss of memories, muscle weakness, and tingling and numbness felt in the extremities. Nevertheless, Lyme disease will rarely cause such nervous system diseases.

How to diagnose Lyme disease?

The best way to detect that one has Lyme disease is to talk to a family health care provider about the symptoms. Blood tests are not always required for making the diagnosis. This is because they can often give false result. People who have been affected with Lyme disease for less than one month often do not yet have antibodies to the condition. This entails that they will not have a positive blood tests. Also, if a person with early Lyme disease takes any antibiotic, he or she may never have a positive Lyme disease tests. However, the blood tests are almost always positive in people who have been affected for over one month and have not taken any antibiotics.

People suffering from joint swellings or nervous system diseases might need to have special tests. A doctor might need to take some fluids from the swollen joints or the spine for checking for clues to the condition.

How is Lyme disease treated?

Lyme disease is cured using antibiotics. Early Lyme disease reacts very well and favorable to such treatments. In most cases, 14 to 30 days of treatments with an antibiotic would kill the bacteria. A doctor tells you how many days for taking the antibiotic. It is essential for anyone to take all the medicine a doctor prescribes to prevent the spreading of Lyme disease to the joints, nervous system or heart.

Some people having early Lyme disease give a positive test that would remain positive even after they take medicine for about one month. Therefore, the blood test is not very reliable to check for the treatment.

Prevention of Lyme disease

The best way for prevention of Lyme disease is to prevent tick bite. Wear light-colored clothes that cover most of the skin when one goes into the woods or an area overgrown with grasses and bushes. This makes it easy to detect and remove ticks on the apparels. Wearing a long-sleeved shirt and wear pants instead of shorts is always beneficial. Tuck the pant legs into the socks for better protection. Remember that ticks are generally found closer to the grounds, especially in moisture and shaded area.