Lyme Disease
Life disease is a life-threatening illness transmitted by bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi found in black-legged ticks. Rashes appear and disappear initially without treatment, but with time a patient develops heart, nervous system, and joints problem. Ticks often acquire the bacteria from deer or mice carrying them. Lyme disease has mild symptoms at first, and one may not notice them. However, in the later stages, the symptoms develop and appear in different parts of the body. Erythema migrans develop during the early phases of Lyme disease, usually during the first week after infection in over seventy percent of people with Lyme disease. Notably, the rash starts where the tick bites and spreads to other areas as the bacteria continue spreading in the body.
Erythema migrans disappear after one month with or without treatment, and other symptoms develop after this period. These symptoms include fever and chills, more rashes, meningitis, fatigue, shooting pains and nerve pains in feet and hands, heart palpitations, and muscle and joint pains. These symptoms disappear within four weeks or more, and the person experiences further complications. Thus, anybody with Lyme disease should seek medical assistance quickly for effective early treatment. During the late stages of Lyme disease, a person develops symptoms within weeks or even months after initial infection without treatment. Symptoms at this stage include the nervous system and cardiovascular problems. They are difficulty concentrating, joint pains, memory loss, vision and sleep problems, irregular heartbeats, face muscle paralysis, and numbness, tingling, and pain. Without treatment, patients are likely to develop recurring arthritis characterized by painful joint swellings.
In some cases, a few individuals suffer post-therapy Lyme disease syndrome. This condition has non-specific signs and symptoms, including joint pains and fatigue, which persist for weeks and even months after initial treatment. Blacklegged ticks often attach in hard-to-see parts of the human body such as groin, armpits, and scalp, where it stays connected between thirty-six to forty-eight hours before disease transmission. Notably, human-to-human transmission of Lyme disease is impossible, while cats and dogs may have Lyme disease but cannot transmit it to people. Although few studies are documenting the possible negative impacts of Lyme disease on pregnancy, some researches link the condition to some congenital disabilities and fetal mortality. However, Lyme disease cannot be transmitted via breastfeeding.
Ideally, a person should start treatment as soon as the Erythema migrans appear, while those in risk areas can begin therapy without blood tests. A patient should notify their physician if they develop symptoms indicating Lyme disease, live in tick-infested areas, or recently exposed to several ticks. If the condition remains untreated, the patient is at significant risk of developing further complications later on. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test is essential for assessing bacterial DNA for patients with neurological symptoms. Early treatment involves antibiotic medication, which can produce full recovery. In the latter stages, antibiotic injections or intravenous antibiotics are necessary, particularly if the patient has neurological complications and arthritis. In some instances, tests for anti-B. burgdorferi could be positive, but that does not outrightly imply that the person has Lyme disease.
There have several cases of Lyme disease across America, which necessitates the need for preventive measures. One reason for the increased cases is due to increased forest fragmentation producing small woodland patches that host white-footed mice. These mice are the primary carriers of B. burgdorferi by hosting black-legged ticks. Prevention measures include staying alert for symptoms, always applying anti-tick treatments on pets, and drying clothes and other garments at high temperatures. Other measures include avoiding tick-infested areas, using tick repellants on hiking gear, clothing, and skin, and showering immediately after the hike. Notably, ticks cannot transmit Lyme disease if they are only attached for less than twenty-four hours. According to CDC reports, the manufacturing of the Lyme disease vaccine stopped in 2002 due to insufficient demand by consumers. That is because the vaccine produced temporary protection against the disease. Thus, if a person received the vaccine before 2002, then they no longer have protection against the disease.