Lyme disease, also comprehended as borreliosis, is a fatal infection spread by black-legged ticks. Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne sickness. Ticks pick up Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria from mice and deer and transmit it to people through bites. A rash may emerge initially, but it will go away on its own. Complications of Lyme disease can impair the joints, heart, and nervous system in the long run. Fever, headaches, lethargy, erythema migrans, and a distinctive skin rash are common Lyme disease symptoms. Infection can extend to the joints, the heart, and the neurological system if left untreated. Symptoms, physical findings such as a rash, and the likelihood of exposure to infected ticks are all used to diagnose Lyme disease. When applied properly and with approved methodologies, laboratory testing can be beneficial.
Symptoms of Lyme disease:
Lyme disease symptoms are usually extremely modest. Some people may not experience any symptoms, or they may mistake them for the flu. Lyme disease can cause varied reactions in different people, and the severity of the symptoms can vary. Early localized, early disseminated, and late disseminated are the three stages of Lyme disease, but symptoms sometimes overlap. Some persons will arrive with signs of a later stage of disease without having had any previous symptoms.
Lyme disease can manifest itself in three stages:
- Early-stage
- Disseminated early
- Late-stage
The symptoms you have will vary depending on the stage of the disease.
The course of Lyme disease differs from person to person. Some people with it do not progress through all three stages.
Early Lyme disease:
Erythema migrans are a rash that emerges 3 to 30 days after the infection has begun to develop.
In 70–80 percent of Lyme disease patients, the rash appears, and it includes the following symptoms:
- It usually starts as a little red spot that grows larger over time.
- It grows to a diameter of 12 inches at the end.
- Its color may fade in the middle, giving it the appearance of a bull’s-eye.
- It normally begins at the location of a tick bite, but as the bacteria spreads, it may emerge elsewhere.
- It is neither unpleasant nor uncomfortable, but it may feel warm to the touch
- The rash may or may not be visible, depending on the individual’s skin tone.
Early disseminated Lyme disease:
Several weeks to months after the tick bite, early disseminated Lyme disease develops.
- A rash may occur in regions other than the tick bite, and you will have a general feeling of being poorly.
- Evidence of systemic infection, which means the infection has spread throughout the body, including other organs, characterizes this stage of the disease.
- Among the signs and symptoms are:
- Erythema multiforme EM lesions in numerous locations
- Heart rhythm problems, which can be induced by Lyme carditis
- Numbness, tingling, facial and cranial nerve palsies, and meningitis are examples of neurologic diseases. Stages 1 and 2 can have similar symptoms.
Later symptoms:
After the tick bite, other symptoms may take months to appear. Here are a few examples:
- Headaches
- The rigidity of the neck
- Rashes in addition
- Failure of muscle tone on one or both sides of the face is known as facial palsy.
- Inflammation of the joints and arthritis
- Aches and pains in muscles, tendons, and bones
- A painful nerve
- A racing heart
Without therapy, these Lyme disease symptoms may disappear in a matter of weeks or months. Some people, however, develop chronic Lyme disease and experience long-term effects.
Recurrent episodes of arthritis with considerable swelling, especially in the major joints, affect approximately 60% of patients who do not receive therapy for the disease.
Post-treatment Lyme disease:
- Post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, often known as persistent Lyme disease, affects certain patients who have undergone therapy for the infection.
- Nonspecific symptoms, such as weariness and joint discomfort, can last for months after treatment is completed.
- In this case, antibiotics are unlikely to help. Rather, the treatment tries to alleviate the symptoms, which will eventually go away independently. Rest and anti-inflammatory drugs could be part of such an approach.
Lyme disease symptoms in children:
Lyme disease symptoms in children are similar to those in adults.
They frequently have the following experiences:
- Fatigue
- Muscle and joint pain
- Fever
- Other flu-like signs and symptoms
These Lyme disease symptoms might appear immediately following an infection or months or years later.
It is possible that your child has Lyme disease but does not have the bulls-eye rash. According to early research, over 90 percent of children experienced a rash.
Prevention of Lyme disease:
The most effective way to avoid Lyme illness is to reduce your chances of being bitten by a tick.
Prevent tick bites by taking the following steps:
- When going outside, dress in long pants and a long-sleeved shirt.
- Clear woody areas, keep underbrush to a minimum and place woodpiles in areas that receive plenty of sunlight to make your yard tick-free.
- Use no more DEET than is necessary for the amount of time you will be outside, and don’t apply it to young children’s hands or faces under the age of two months.
- When applied in comparable amounts, lemon eucalyptus oil supplies the same protection as DEET. Minors under the age of three should not be exposed to it.
- Keep an eye on your surroundings. Ticks should be checked on your kids, pets, and you. Do not assume you won’t get Lyme disease again if you have had it before. Lyme disease can be acquired multiple times.
- With tweezers, remove ticks. Tweezers should be placed near the tick’s head or mouth and gently pulled. Make sure you have removed all of the tick’s pieces.
When searching for ticks on the body, make careful to look for:
- Below the knees and under the arms
- Around and inside the ears
- In the stomach button
- In every strand of hair
- Middle of the legs
- Around the midriff
Is Lyme disease contagious?
- Lyme disease is not infectious among humans, according to research. Pregnant women cannot transfer the sickness to their fetus through breast milk.
- Lyme disease is an infection spread by black-legged deer ticks spread by bacteria. Although these bacteria can also find in human fluids, there is no evidence that Lyme disease can be shared by sneezing or coughing.
Treatment for Lyme disease:
- Treatment can begin without a diagnosis of Lyme disease if a person has been exposed to a tick in an area where the disease is common.
- If the bacteria are present, this is known as a preventive treatment, and it can help prevent Lyme disease.
- Antibiotics are frequently use in the treatment, which should begin as soon as feasible. The majority of patients who seek treatment early on recover completely and quickly.
- According to the latest research, Lyme disease do not transfer sexually or through a blood transfusion.
Bottom Line:
Finally, if you have had a tick bite, reside in a Lyme disease-affected area, or have recently traveled to a Lyme-affected area, then seek medical attention as soon as possible. Early detection of Lyme disease allows patients to treat with the right medications, resulting in a speedy and complete recovery. These are the above-explained details you should know about Lyme disease and their symptoms. These are the above-explained details you should know about Lyme disease and their symptoms.