Six Lyme Disease Facts Everyone Should Know
You should know about the nature and cause of Lyme disease, it’s symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, long-term effects and prevention.
Lyme disease causes long-term health problems that can affect your future. It would be helpful to know some facts about Lyme disease for immediate diagnosis and treatment, as well as ways to avoid it. Pertinent facts regarding the symptoms of Lyme disease are:
Nature and cause of Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is spread to humans by an infected tick bite. The Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria at the site of the bite is the cause and enters your body spreading throughout the body including your muscles, heart, brain and other organs. Lyme disease gets its name from Lyme Connecticut, where it was first identified after several children became ill.
Symptoms of Lyme Disease
Many people afflicted with Lyme don’t display any symptoms until the later stages of the disease. Many people experience Lyme Disease symptoms about a month after the tick bite. One symptom is a bull’s eye rash at the site of the tick bite. The patient can begin to experience condition indicators as high temperature, headache, muscle cramps and tiredness. In advanced stages symptoms may include swelling of the lymph glands, as well as numbness in the lower extremities. You will have more debilitating results later on if you don’t get Lyme disease identified and treated quickly.
Diagnosing a Case of Lyme Disease
Once you exhibit the symptoms of Lyme disease and are sure you’ve gotten a tick bite, go straight over to your doctor for a clinical diagnosis. The doctor will examine the site of the tick bite first to determine if there is a rash. If you do not develop a rash, but you do get flu-like symptoms after a tick bite, your doctor might order a blood test within five weeks so determine if you have contracted Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. Since your immune system normally takes two to five weeks to react to this type of bacterial infection, blood tests done earlier may not be reliable.
Lyme Disease Treatment
The physician would be in a position to recommend you with the required medical treatment to get rid of the problem, after it has been confirmed that you have fallen victim to the Lyme disease. At the beginning a three to four week block of taking antibiotics like amoxicillin, doxycycline and cerfuroxime axetil can be used to treat Lyme disease. In hopeless situations, a patient might require more antibiotics and also injection through the veins for quicker relief.
Long lasting problems and after effects of Lyme Disease
It is important to get Lyme disease diagnosed and treated immediately. You will experience more serious complications that will affect your heart and nervous system if you don’t get treatment early. These include congestive heart failure, heart rhythm irregularities, memory loss, meningitis, numbness of your arms and legs, and paralysis of the face or Bell’s Palsy. Inflammation of your eyes as well as a severe case of arthritis are possible.
Lyme disease is preventable
The tips which can assist you to avoid yourself from being affected by Lyme disease are following:
* When hiking or camping, dress in long-sleeved shirts, long pants, a hat and tuck in your socks.
* It is best to avoid high-risk woody and grassy areas during late spring, summer and early fall.
* Be sure to use bug sprays that contain the chemical DEET to avoid ticks.
4* When performing outdoor activities, always check for ticks regularly. Research shows that you will not be infected by the borrelia burgdorferi bacteria until the tick has been attached to your skin for at least 24 hours, so it is essential to remove them immediately.
Not all ticks, though, are carriers of Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, and the existence of Lyme disease should not stop you from going hiking or engaging in other outdoor activities. What is important is that you know how to prevent the infection, learn about its symptoms, and immediately consult your doctor when symptoms start to show up.
