Lyme Disease Information - Symptoms and Treatment

Lyme is a bacterial caused disease which is transmission to humans by the bite of deer ticks also known as Ixodes ticks carrying a bacterium known as Borrelia burgdorferi These ticks can spread the disease to animals and humans through tick bites. These ticks are about the size of a sesame seed. The disease only became apparent in 1975 when mothers of a group of children who lived near each other in Lyme, Connecticut made researchers aware that their children all were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis . This unusual grouping of illness that appeared "rheumatoid" eventually led researchers to the identification of the bacterial cause of Lyme disease in 1982.

What are the symptoms of Lyme Disease ?

The symptoms of Lyme disease includes

• Fatigue or lack of energy, which is the most common symptom.
• Headache and stiff neck.
• Fever and chills.
• Muscle and joint pain.
• Swollen lymph nodes .

The flulike illness usually occurs in the warm weather months when flu (influenza) does not occur.

1) The rash is a red rash that grows in size daily. It is called erythema migrans.

2) The rash occurs at the site of the tick bite and can grow from the size of a silver dollar to the size of a football.

3) Its shape can be circular or oval.

4) As it grows, the rash can remain red throughout, although it often can develop a clear area. In a minority, it may take on the appearance of a target with multiple rings (alternating red with clear skin).

5) Multiple lesions can occur that are not due to multiple tick bites.

Treatment of Lyme Disease

For treating Lyme simply antibiotics is given. Oral antibiotics — usually doxycycline for adults and children older than 8, or amoxicillin or cefuroxime axetil for adults and younger children — are the standard treatment for early-stage Lyme disease. Swollen joints can be reduced by the doctor removing fluid from them . An arthrocentesis is a procedure whereby fluid is removed from a joint using a needle and syringe under sterile conditions. The doctor also can inject cortisone into swollen joints or use oral medications, such as ibuprofen (Motrin, Nuprin), to reduce inflammation and improve function. Bismacine, also known as chromacine, contains high levels of the metal bismuth. Although bismuth is safely used in some oral medications for stomach ulcers, it's not approved for use in injectable form or as a treatment for Lyme disease. Bismacine can cause bismuth poisoning, which may lead to heart and kidney failure.

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