Those who spend time in the woodland areas of Europe and North America may be at risk for contacting deer ticks, which are known to harbor the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria responsible for causing Lyme disease. Fortunately, there are several measures one can take to avoid tick bites, but if they do contract the illness, it is important to understand how to treat Lyme disease by seeking prompt medical attention.
The symptoms vary from person to person, and sometimes they don't appear until as long as one month after the tick bite occurred. Common symptoms include fever and chills, headache, sore joints and muscles, and fatigue, as well as a bull's-eye pattern at the bite site. Some patients will also have a body rash. While rare, serious complications include miscarriage in pregnant women, liver or eye inflammation, Bell's palsy, irregular heartbeat, weakness or immobility of limbs, and meningitis.
Not every tick bite will result in the development of this illness, however if someone believes they have been bitten, it's a good idea to visit the doctor right away for evaluation. Undetected, this disease can lead to long-term nervous system damage and arthritis. Early treatment is the key to a successful recovery.
Diagnosis is not normally done based on symptoms alone since there are also many other conditions which have similar manifestations. Without the characteristic rash, the doctor will likely ask the patient a series of questions, and also order some lab tests to look for antibodies to this particular strain of bacteria, namely the ELISA-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and Western blot tests.
If the tests confirm that the patient has Lyme disease, antibiotic therapy will be started immediately. The outlook for the patient's long-term recovery is improved substantially if treatment is administered promptly. A two to four week course of oral doxycycline or amoxicillin is most often given, but it is not recommended to continue it past this point since this may be harmful.
If a patient is exhibiting signs of cardiac or nervous system involvement, IV antibiotics may be administered for as much as two weeks. Nursing mothers or children under the age of 9, will be prescribed penicillin or amoxicillin instead of doxycycline, which is known to stain developing teeth. Patients who have an allergy to penicillin-based drugs, will be given erythromycin.
Prevention of Lyme disease is the best cure. When one will be outdoors in areas that are grassy or wooded, it's a good idea to wear light-colored, snug clothing which covers the arms and legs, tuck shirts into pants and pant-legs into socks or boots, stay on the central trails and avoid overgrown areas, wear repellents containing DEET or the tick repellent Permethrin, and spray it on clothing before venturing out. After returning home, checking oneself and their family members for signs of ticks is important, if they are removed early, infection may not occur.
Most patients can look forward to a complete recovery provided they receive early treatment. Antibodies can remain the bloodstream for as long as several years, but this does not mean that another infection cannot occur. Taking care to prevent exposure to the illness is always the best approach to take when going into the wilderness.
The symptoms vary from person to person, and sometimes they don't appear until as long as one month after the tick bite occurred. Common symptoms include fever and chills, headache, sore joints and muscles, and fatigue, as well as a bull's-eye pattern at the bite site. Some patients will also have a body rash. While rare, serious complications include miscarriage in pregnant women, liver or eye inflammation, Bell's palsy, irregular heartbeat, weakness or immobility of limbs, and meningitis.
Not every tick bite will result in the development of this illness, however if someone believes they have been bitten, it's a good idea to visit the doctor right away for evaluation. Undetected, this disease can lead to long-term nervous system damage and arthritis. Early treatment is the key to a successful recovery.
Diagnosis is not normally done based on symptoms alone since there are also many other conditions which have similar manifestations. Without the characteristic rash, the doctor will likely ask the patient a series of questions, and also order some lab tests to look for antibodies to this particular strain of bacteria, namely the ELISA-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and Western blot tests.
If the tests confirm that the patient has Lyme disease, antibiotic therapy will be started immediately. The outlook for the patient's long-term recovery is improved substantially if treatment is administered promptly. A two to four week course of oral doxycycline or amoxicillin is most often given, but it is not recommended to continue it past this point since this may be harmful.
If a patient is exhibiting signs of cardiac or nervous system involvement, IV antibiotics may be administered for as much as two weeks. Nursing mothers or children under the age of 9, will be prescribed penicillin or amoxicillin instead of doxycycline, which is known to stain developing teeth. Patients who have an allergy to penicillin-based drugs, will be given erythromycin.
Prevention of Lyme disease is the best cure. When one will be outdoors in areas that are grassy or wooded, it's a good idea to wear light-colored, snug clothing which covers the arms and legs, tuck shirts into pants and pant-legs into socks or boots, stay on the central trails and avoid overgrown areas, wear repellents containing DEET or the tick repellent Permethrin, and spray it on clothing before venturing out. After returning home, checking oneself and their family members for signs of ticks is important, if they are removed early, infection may not occur.
Most patients can look forward to a complete recovery provided they receive early treatment. Antibodies can remain the bloodstream for as long as several years, but this does not mean that another infection cannot occur. Taking care to prevent exposure to the illness is always the best approach to take when going into the wilderness.
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