Lyme Disease

Lyme disease

Lyme disease is an infection transmitted by deer ticks and black-legged ticks. Individuals usually come in contact with this disease is in wooded or grassy areas that is very prominent in the united states and 60 other countries. It is estimated that in the united states there are more than 300,000 cases per year, but Lyme disease is a very hard infection to diagnose some cases are not accounted for. The symptoms of Lyme disease mimic many other diseases and that is why it can be misdiagnosed most of the time for fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, Parkinson’s, ALS, alzheimers, or multiple sclerosis. Lyme disease can affect people of all ages but it is most common in people who spend extended periods of time outside or are in

A rash starts to appear in sixty to eighty percent of cases over just a few days to several weeks after being bitten. The rash may have a different appearance in ever case could have an irregular shape have a blister or scabby appearance. After one develops a rash the first thing to do is contact a doctor and take a photo of the rash. In the beginning stages of Lyme disease diagnostic testing is not reliable but do not delay treatment. Just pay attention to the symptoms that are involved and stay in contact with your provider. If Lyme disease is not diagnosed or treated early enough it can go and spread to different parts of the body causing lots of issues. Weeks, Months, or years later can turn into chronic Lyme disease. Later stage Lyme disease one may see different signs and symptoms than when first diagnosed. One being joint pain and swelling mostly in the knees but can also shift from one joint to another. The last thing one might notice later is neurological problems. There might be inflammation of the membranes around the brain which is meningitis, or one might have temporary paralysis of one side of the face which is called bells

The bulls-eye rash is around five centimeters in diameter and will have a bright red border. This is accompanied by flu like symptoms that may or may not include chills, fever, myalgia, fatigue and headache. If treatment if not obtained it may take three to four weeks for symptoms and the rash to subsidize, but if antibiotics are administered then rash and symptoms will go away with days. Stage two Lyme disease is present if antibiotics are not administered and will be present within four to ten weeks of the tick bite. In this time some of the manifestations may be joint pain, memory loss, poor motor coordination, and meningitis. Stage three Lyme disease can begin anywhere from weeks to a year after the initial tick bite, and there can be serious long term chronic sequelae which can include arthritis, neuropathy, myalgia, and