Important Facts You Should Know About Lyme Disease
Key facts you need to know about Lyme disease to keep you safe and protected include the nature and cause of Lyme disease, its symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, long-term effects, and its prevention.
The long-term health problems caused by Lyme disease can affect your future. Gaining information pertaining to Lyme disease can help you in staying clear of it, diagnosing it early, as well as in getting proper treatment for 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. It is caused by the bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi that enters your body at the site of the bite and spreads throughout the body including your brain, muscles, heart, and other organs. In 1975 some children from Lyme, Connecticut was infected, hence the name Lyme disease.
These are the common Symptoms of Lyme Disease
You may not show any signs of Lyme disease until it has reached the later stage. There is a delay of anywhere from several weeks to a month after the tick bite before the onset of symptoms. These symptoms include a crimson rash appearing in a circular pattern around the tick bite site. With Lyme disease you will feel much as if you were coming down with the flu 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 begin to experience symptoms of Lyme disease, and you are sure that you have been bitten by a tick, don't waste any time getting in touch with your doctor for an accurate diagnosis. When first visiting the doctor, he or she will look for any signs of a rash where the tick bite is. If a rash does not manifest, but you develop flu-like symptoms days or weeks after the tick bite, the doctor will conduct a blood test two to five weeks after the tick bite and see if you have developed antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. As your immune system is going to respond to the bacterial infection only after a couple of weeks to five weeks time, there is no point in conducting earlier blood tests.
Lyme Disease Treatment
Once it has been determined that the patient has Lyme disease, the appropriate physician will provide the patient with a prescription to help cure the disease. During the early stage, antibiotics, such as amoxicillin, doxycycline, or cefuroxime axetil, will usually treat Lyme disease, when taken for three to four weeks. In severe cases, a combination of antibiotics may be intravenously administered for faster relief.
The long-range impact and problems associated with Lyme Disease
If Lyme disease is not diagnosed and treated immediately, you will experience more serious complications that will affect your heart and your nervous system. It includes 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.
Avoiding Lyme Disease
To prevent contracting Lyme disease, use the advice that follows:
* If you go on a hike or camp, put on shirts with long sleeves, long leg pants preferably with socks pulled over top of the pants and a hat.
* Keep in mind that ticks can be found in wooded areas and meadows, so take care to avoid these areas during tuck season (late spring through early fall).
* Be sure to use bug sprays that contain the chemical DEET to avoid ticks.
* Constantly check your body for ticks while outdoors or after participating in outdoor activities. The only way the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria can enter your system is if the tick has been attached for at least 24 hours, which makes it imperative to rid yourself of ticks as soon as possible.
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. It is important that you know how to prevent the infection. Investigate the symptoms, and consult your doctor immediately if you notice any problems.
The long-term health problems caused by Lyme disease can affect your future. Gaining information pertaining to Lyme disease can help you in staying clear of it, diagnosing it early, as well as in getting proper treatment for 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. It is caused by the bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi that enters your body at the site of the bite and spreads throughout the body including your brain, muscles, heart, and other organs. In 1975 some children from Lyme, Connecticut was infected, hence the name Lyme disease.
These are the common Symptoms of Lyme Disease
You may not show any signs of Lyme disease until it has reached the later stage. There is a delay of anywhere from several weeks to a month after the tick bite before the onset of symptoms. These symptoms include a crimson rash appearing in a circular pattern around the tick bite site. With Lyme disease you will feel much as if you were coming down with the flu 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 begin to experience symptoms of Lyme disease, and you are sure that you have been bitten by a tick, don't waste any time getting in touch with your doctor for an accurate diagnosis. When first visiting the doctor, he or she will look for any signs of a rash where the tick bite is. If a rash does not manifest, but you develop flu-like symptoms days or weeks after the tick bite, the doctor will conduct a blood test two to five weeks after the tick bite and see if you have developed antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. As your immune system is going to respond to the bacterial infection only after a couple of weeks to five weeks time, there is no point in conducting earlier blood tests.
Lyme Disease Treatment
Once it has been determined that the patient has Lyme disease, the appropriate physician will provide the patient with a prescription to help cure the disease. During the early stage, antibiotics, such as amoxicillin, doxycycline, or cefuroxime axetil, will usually treat Lyme disease, when taken for three to four weeks. In severe cases, a combination of antibiotics may be intravenously administered for faster relief.
The long-range impact and problems associated with Lyme Disease
If Lyme disease is not diagnosed and treated immediately, you will experience more serious complications that will affect your heart and your nervous system. It includes 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.
Avoiding Lyme Disease
To prevent contracting Lyme disease, use the advice that follows:
* If you go on a hike or camp, put on shirts with long sleeves, long leg pants preferably with socks pulled over top of the pants and a hat.
* Keep in mind that ticks can be found in wooded areas and meadows, so take care to avoid these areas during tuck season (late spring through early fall).
* Be sure to use bug sprays that contain the chemical DEET to avoid ticks.
* Constantly check your body for ticks while outdoors or after participating in outdoor activities. The only way the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria can enter your system is if the tick has been attached for at least 24 hours, which makes it imperative to rid yourself of ticks as soon as possible.
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. It is important that you know how to prevent the infection. Investigate the symptoms, and consult your doctor immediately if you notice any problems.
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