Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is an infection caused by the spirochete
Stages of Lyme Disease
The early localized stage of Lyme disease is characterized by a skin rash (erythema migrans) at the tick-bite site. The rash, which is said to look like a bull's eye, appears anywhere from three days to weeks after the tick bite. Typically, the rash is small at first, but gets larger. If the rash doesn't occur or goes undetected, the bacterium may spread through the bloodstream to other parts of the body. If that happens, the person enters the next stage of Lyme disease, called early disseminated stage, in the weeks after the tick bite.
In the early disseminated stage, the person affected may develop other symptoms including:
Muscle pain
Joint pain
Multiple rashes
Fever
Headaches
In late stage infection, which can occur months or years later, there can be more significant arthritis involvement, nervous — system problems, sleep problems, memory issues, and heart problems. Lyme arthritis, as it is sometimes called, typically causes swelling in one or both knees, but it can affect other large joints of the body too.
Diagnosing and Treating Lyme Disease
The CDC has adopted a two-step diagnostic approach for Lyme disease. The ELISA blood test is used to define certain antibodies that would occur as the immune system responds to the infection. The Western blot test is then used to confirm borderline results or positive results. These blood tests shouldn't be performed until the patient shows symptoms which may be linked to Lyme disease. False positives or false negatives may occur prior to that time.
Fact
In 2005, according to the CDC, “23,305 cases of Lyme disease were reported, yielding a national average of 7.9 cases for every 100,000 persons. In the ten states where Lyme disease is most common, the average was 31.6 cases for every 100,000 persons.”
Lyme disease is treated in its early stages with a two- to three-week course of oral antibiotics. If there are some other complications, intravenous antibiotics may be used. Antibiotics can be used if diagnosis is late or delayed, but there may be residual symptoms in such cases. Being treated early with antibiotics is your best chance for full recovery.
Prevention and Prevalence of Lyme Disease
Lyme was named in 1975 after an outbreak occurred in Lyme, Connecticut. It was discovered that people who work or spend leisure time in wooded areas, especially during tick season, were at higher risk of developing Lyme disease. To prevent the disease, make sure to wear protective clothing outdoors — long pants and long sleeves especially. It's also a good idea to use insect repellant with DEET, check for ticks when you come in from outside, clear away wooded, brushy, or grassy areas close to your home, and be aware of what the rash typical of Lyme disease looks like.
There is a peak of infection in the Northeast and Upper Midwest in late spring and early summer. A second peak period occurs in the fall. During late summer and winter, there is less chance of tick bites.
