| Lyme Disease. What is Lyme disease?Lyme disease | | | | or spine fluid aspiration helps to recognize the |
| is an infectious disease. A spirochete Borrelia | | | | condition.How is Lyme disease treated?Most cases of |
| burgdorferi, a kind of germ, is the cause. Deer ticks or | | | | Lyme disease are treated with several weeks of |
| western black-legged ticks bite people and transmit the | | | | antibiotics. Early Lyme disease requires 14 to 30 days |
| bacterium to humans. These ticks are about the size | | | | of antibiotics. Antibiotics usually are given by mouth. If |
| of sesame seeds. Lyme disease mostly happens in | | | | the nervous system is involved, antibiotics may need to |
| rural and suburban regions. Lyme disease is found in | | | | be given intravenously. Take all the drugs, which your |
| United States, Europe, Asia and Australia.The | | | | doctor prescribed, according to instruction. To prevent |
| symptoms of Lyme disease include: Fever Headache | | | | spreading the infection to joints, heart and nervous |
| Fatigue Chills Stiff neck Muscle aches Joint pain Skin | | | | system do not stop taking the medicine. Call your |
| rash named erythema migrans, which appears from | | | | doctor and discuss if you have some problems with |
| week to month after a tick bite. This rash usually starts | | | | the drug. Blood tests are not very useful to check your |
| at the site of the tick bite. Originally it is a small red spot | | | | treatment. Sometime Lyme disease gives positive |
| that grow larger. The center fade, which looks like a | | | | tests even after a moth of treatment. In advanced |
| "bull's eye" or ring. Some people have just many red | | | | Lyme disease, symptoms may improve, but do not |
| spots instead. The rash burns and itches often. | | | | disappear completely. If symptoms persist or worsen |
| However some people do not feel it.Later infection | | | | after treatment, contact your doctor.How to prevent |
| spreads to joints, the heart, and nervous system. | | | | Lyme disease?The best way is to avoid tick bites. |
| Affected heart beats irregularly or slowly. Bell's palsy | | | | Clothing in the woods area, long-sleeved shirt and |
| (a sort of face droop) means the nervous system | | | | pants instead of shorts are good protection. An insect |
| damage. If not treated, Lyme disease causes arthritis | | | | repellent containing permethrin or similar staff could be |
| (joints inflammation) and more nervous system | | | | used. Follow instructions for application because the |
| problems. Usually, only one large joint, knee for | | | | repellents may also cause skin irritation. After walking |
| example, swells and hurts. Sometimes more than one | | | | outdoors, check your skin body and scalp for ticks and |
| joint becomes inflamed. Later, Lyme disease causes | | | | rashes. Check your pets. Remove ticks promptly form |
| trouble concentrating, memory loss, muscle weakness, | | | | you cloth. Also consider landscaping and pest control in |
| tingling and numbness.How to find out if you have | | | | you area. The ticks may transmit other tick-borne |
| Lyme disease?Talk to your doctor about your | | | | diseases too.If you find a tick on your skin, use |
| symptoms. He usually diagnoses Lyme disease if you | | | | tweezers, grasp the tick close to your skin. Pull steady, |
| have symptoms and physical findings (especially | | | | do not squeeze or twist the tick. If any parts stay in |
| specific rash). The possibility of infected tick bites is | | | | your skin, carefully remove them as if a splinter. Then |
| important in the consideration. Lab tests are helpful | | | | put some antiseptic ointment. Old methods of putting |
| mostly in the later stages of disease. Early they may | | | | kerosene, gasoline on the tick were not proved to |
| give false results. People who have been sick with | | | | work well. After removing the tick, check your skin |
| Lyme disease for less than a month may have | | | | over the next month. In case of a rash, go to your |
| negative blood test, because they still have to develop | | | | doctor and tell about the bite. Usually people, who are |
| antibodies to the disease. Also, in early Lyme disease, | | | | bitten by a tick, but do not feel sick or get a rash, do |
| patients who take antibiotics for other reasons may | | | | not need antibiotics. If you are unsure, call your doctor |
| never develop a positive Lyme disease test. Blood | | | | at the time of bite. Some other diseases, spread by |
| test is almost always positive in patients who sick for | | | | ticks, may require additional actions and |
| over month without antibiotics.Swelled joints or nervous | | | | treatments.Aleksandr Kavokin, MD, PhD. |
| system symptoms may require special tests. Joint fluid | | | | |