| Treatment of Lyme Disease | | | | areas and a larger quantity of deer. |
| Lyme disease, or borreliosis, is an emerging infectious | | | | Symptoms of Lyme Disease |
| disease caused by at least three species of bacteria | | | | Human Lyme borreliosis generally occurs in stages, |
| belonging to the genus Borrelia.[1] Borrelia burgdorferi is | | | | with remissions and exacerbations and different |
| the predominant cause of Lyme disease in the U.S., | | | | symptoms at each stage. The first stage of Lyme |
| whereas Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii are | | | | disease is a rash known as erythema migrans (EM), |
| implicated in most European cases.Lyme disease is | | | | which usually occurs several days to a month after |
| caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is | | | | the tick bite, and consists of a small red lesion that later |
| transmitted to humans by the bite of infected | | | | expands to form a ring-shaped rash - "bull's eye" - a |
| blacklegged ticks. Typical symptoms include fever, | | | | bright red ring encircling the bite and a clear area at the |
| headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called | | | | center. Symptoms of Lyme disease are diverse and |
| erythema migrans. If left untreated, infection can | | | | often occur in early and late phases. They vary widely |
| spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system. | | | | from person to person. Any one symptom may fail to |
| You're more likely to get Lyme disease if you live or | | | | appear, and symptoms may overlap in various |
| spend time in the grassy and heavily wooded areas | | | | combinations. Death from Lyme disease is very rare |
| where ticks carrying the disease breed. It's important | | | | and occurs only in a few cases in which the heart is |
| to take common-sense precautions in areas where | | | | severely affected. |
| Lyme disease is prevalent. If treated with appropriate | | | | How is Lyme disease treated |
| antibiotics in the early stages of the disease, | | | | Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics. Early-stage |
| Causes of Lyme Disease | | | | Lyme disease responds very well to treatment. In |
| Ticks feed on blood, attaching to a host and feeding | | | | most cases, 14 to 30 days of treatment with an |
| until they're swollen to many times their normal size. | | | | antibiotic kills the bacteria. Your doctor will tell you how |
| During feeding, ticks that carry disease-producing | | | | many days to take the antibiotic. It's important for you |
| bacteria can transmit the bacteria to a healthy host. Or | | | | to take all the medicine your doctor prescribes to |
| they may pick up bacteria themselves if the host is | | | | prevent the spread of Lyme disease to your joints, |
| infected. In areas where Lyme disease is common, as | | | | nervous system or heart. |
| many as 50 percent of deer ticks may carry | | | | Intravenous antibiotics |
| Correlative burgdorferi. | | | | If the disease has progressed, your doctor may |
| Location - Some states have a higher incidence of | | | | recommend treatment with an intravenous antibiotic |
| Lyme disease than others. The 10 states that have the | | | | for 14 to 28 days. This is effective in eliminating |
| most reported cases of Lyme Disease yearly include | | | | infection, although it may take some time to recover |
| New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, | | | | symptomatically. Intravenous antibiotics can cause |
| Wisconsin, Minnesota, Maryland, Delaware, New | | | | various side effects, including a lower white blood cell |
| Hampshire, and Maine. Increased risk in these areas | | | | count, gallstones and mild to severe diarrhea. |
| can be attributed to a greater amount of wooded | | | | |