Lyme disease: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Muskan

· 31 May 2022

Lyme disease: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Lyme disease is one of the regular vector-borne diseases mainly found in the USA. The bite of infected black-legged ticks leads to occurrence of the disease. There are four species of bacteria that cause Lyme disease. The available two variants of these black-legged ticks in the USA are Borrelia mayonii and Borrelia burgdorferi. Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii are two other variants found in Asia and European countries. When an infected deer tick bites, Lyme disease can get transmitted. So, it is clearly a tick-borne disease in the USA, Europe, and different parts of Asia. This disease never gets transmitted at home or in some indoor areas. However, as you spend hours in some grassy area or dense woods, you are prone to get infected. Let us understand what Lyme disease is, its symptoms, causes and treatment options available.

Lyme disease Symptoms

When the black-legged ticks affect someone, there are certain symptoms. These symptoms take place in various stages. Again there is a possibility that the stages can overlap. Though the symptoms and signs of this disease may vary from one person to another, some common Lyme disease symptoms are listed here.

Lyme Disease Symptoms at the early stage

Generally, in the early stage of Lyme disease, you will come across nothing but a little red bump. This bump looks almost the same as the small bump created by a regular mosquito bite. In most cases, this little red bump gets fixed on tick removal. This issue naturally gets resolved within a few days of the tick bite. In no way does such a regular occurrence looks like a Lyme disease.
But, if you are severely affected by the black-legged ticks, some serious signs will appear on your skin in a month.
Lyme disease Rash: This rash can happen within three days at the earliest after the tick bite. There is a possibility that rash may occur even after a month. The affected red bump may start forming a clear area in its center with the infected tick bite. Gradually, it will look like a bull's eye pattern. This infection can expand gradually over the time and grow into a larger bump spreading up to 30 centimeters. The place is not too painful or itchy in the beginning. But it may feel a little warm when touched.
Erythema migrans are an integral part of Lyme disease. But remember that all the infected people with Lyme disease do not come up with body rash. Few of them have this Rash on multiple spots of their bodies. Some other additional Lyme disease symptoms are high fever, neck pain, fatigue, body aches, chills, headache, and lymph nodes in swollen conditions and the Rash.

Lyme Disease Symptoms in later stage

Since the symptoms of Lyme disease are not too different from regular insect bites, it may become challenging to distinguish. At times, people cannot understand what to do if the red bumps are small and there is no reaction. During this period, there might be some new signs of infection taking place and making the situation more intense. The later symptoms of Lyme disease include,
•    Erythema migrans:  Erythema migrans refer to the Rash that may take place on several parts of your body.
•    Joint pain: There might be unbearable joint pain and severe swelling that will affect the knees. The sad part is that the pain will keep shifting to different joints. The chances are that such joint pains may affect your mobility.
•    Some unwanted Neurological problems: This is one of the severe issues that some infected people could experience. It can be days, weeks, and fortnights or years after the bite when one could develop inflammation in layers covering brain leading to meningitis. As a severe post-effect, one may develop Bell's palsy, where one will experience sudden paralysis occurring to one side of the face. Moreover, there might be physical numbness, impaired muscles, and weak limbs.

Lesser-known Lyme disease symptoms

The inflammation may not occur in all the lyme disease patients. A few of them may have some other issues after several weeks. These are,
- Cardiac problems, which give way to irregular heartbeats
- Hepatitis or Liver inflammation
- Muscle fatigue
- Eye inflammation

Lyme Disease Treatment

Finding the best treatment for Lyme disease can be a little time-consuming. If an infected tick bites you, it can be minor. But it would be best if you visit a doctor as soon as you find it out any such bite. It is said that only a small number of tick bites turn into Lyme Disease. If the tick remains on your skin for a very short time, the likelihood of getting the infection is low. But the longer it is on your skin, the more you are prone to get affected.
Lyme Disease treatment could bring good results if diagnosed in time and the treatment starts soon after that. All you need to do is recognize the wound, find the signs of Lyme Disease symptoms, and visit a doctor. A small red bump of a mosquito bite looks quite similar to a tick bite. So, it is natural to get a bit confused in the beginning. But if you live in an area where tick bites are natural, and Lyme disease is a relevant matter, you should never delay. If the treatment starts immediately, you can save yourself from the severity of the disease. Once left untreated, Lyme disease can spread vigorously throughout your body and lead to years of infection. As its side effects, nervous system issues may also occur. Cardiac diseases are also common when you have Lyme disease untreated for longer. And last but not least, an infected tick bite can lead to different illnesses like Colorado tick fever or babesiosis other than Lyme disease.

Note: The article is meant for general awareness of the readers. The information can’t be used as a substitute to a medical prescription or diagnosis by a medical professional. In case you experience above or related symptoms, kindly consult a registered medical professional.

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Comments (12)
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Alberto

2 years ago

I like the time you take to make the publications on Yoors you have given accurate complete information on the subject

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Millieballon

2 years ago

As an avid outdoor trailwalker I'm well aware of the dangers of getting bit by ticks and the risk of Lyme. I do miss the specification of the treatment in this blog. Information or link to prevention would also be a nice addition.

Muskan

2 years ago

@Millieballon Thanks for the suggestion, i will try to incorporate soon.

Freli

2 years ago

The article shows what many educational topics have to the public, very didactic to be more correct with diseases

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Alfred

2 years ago

Taking this disease into account, I had no information about it, mother told me about the danger of ticks, but I didn't know it came to this, thank you for preventing us

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armandofuen2012

2 years ago

Aaaaa, I didn't know that those black ticks had the potential for such a disease, something to take care of in case of contact is good to keep in mind.

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