Lyme Disease Informational

**Lyme Disease**

Lyme Disease became a big debate during the 1990s, from 1995-2006 the number of Lyme disease patients have doubled according to the Centers of Disease Control (CDC). Lyme disease is known as the leading tick borne illness leaving its host with a bacterial illness that is a burgdorferi infection. In most cases they use a three week course of antibiotics which is a treatment that is approved by the CDC. Although for many their symptoms persist after the three week period causing a person to return back on antibiotics for a long period of time (Lyme Disease).

**Lyme disease Symptoms Include:**

·         Flu-like illness

·         Fever

·         History of Tick Bite (Not all patients recall a bite)

·         Headache

·         Extreme Fatigue

·         EM Rash, Other Rashes (Only found in 50% of patients)

·         Malar Flush, Red Ear Lobes

·         TMJ/ Jaw Pain (Temporomandibular Join)

·         Neck & Back Pain

·         Joint Pain & Swelling, Bone Pain (Lyme Disease Association)

Lyme disease has affected many lives in the United States some worse than others. Lyme disease can become more severe if it goes untreated. This is why just like any illness early detection is important. If Lyme disease is not caught in an acute form, it then becomes Chronic Lyme disease (Symptoms).

**Proper Treatment Includes:**

Antibiotic therapy is the leading treatment to Lyme disease, and that come with numerous antibiotics. Some are doxycycline, rifampin, clarithromycin, nystatin, Alania and many more.

Antibiotic Therapy- is a course of bacterial killing pills. Many times more than one antibiotic will be administered in different ways.

o   Long Term

o   30 days treatment

§  Pills

§  I.M. (Intramuscular) Injections

I.V. (Intervenes) therapies

Not all tests for Lyme disease are accurate; sometimes it’s a multiple step process that can take some time to prove a person is suffering. A lot of times the first test a person receives will give a false negative due to the lack of immunity response (Treatment).

**Side Effects of Chronic Lyme disease:**

Chronic Lyme disease is the affect on a person after lyme disease has gone untreated for an extended period of time.

·         Cardiac Problems- Lyme disease can affect the electrical activity in a person’s heart. Causing discomfort and chest pain

·         Arthritis- A side effect of Lyme is joint pain, without fast treatment it causes permanent damage and swelling to joints

·         Neurological- If a bacteria reaches the brain it can affect numerous parts of a person’s body some may even be paralyzed.

 Proper treatment is key for anyone wishing to prevent a life time of complications Lyme disease is believed to be transmitted from mother to child (Lyme Disease 101).

**Prevention Includes:**

·         Avoid tick-infested areas, such as leaf litter under trees. Avoid brushing against long grasses and brush on edges of paths. Don’t sit on stumps or fallen logs.

·         Wear light-colored long pants and long sleeves so you can easily see any ticks.

·         Tuck shirt into pants and tuck pants into socks.

·         Use DEET on skin and treat clothing with spray containing permethrin.

·         Do a thorough tick check upon returning inside and for several days following exposure.

·         Check bedding for several days following exposure for ticks that drop off.

·         Ticks, especially nymphal ticks, are tiny. Find and remove them before they bite (Lyme Disease).

**What to do if you are bitten:**

If you happen to find a tick that has bitten you typically the head will embedit self under your skin its crucial to remove the tick in a proper way.

·         Use fine-point tweezers or a special tick-removing tool. Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible. If you don’t have tweezers, protect your fingers with a tissue.

·     Pull the tick straight out with steady, even pressure.

·         Avoid squeezing the tick, breaking it, or allowing any blood to remain on your skin.

·         Place the tick in a small plastic bag or vial with blades of grass, leaf, or moist (not wet) piece of tissue.

·         Label the bag with your name, date, site of bite and how long tick was attached.

·         Have the tick identified and tested by a lab, health department or veterinarian.

·         Wash your hands, disinfect the tweezers and bite site.

·         Educate yourself about tick-borne diseases and consult a doctor to see if treatment is warranted (Lyme Disease 101).

Lyme disease is the leading tick borne Illness in the United States and it is proven that we go with plenty of undiagnosed cases each year. The importance to watch you amd your family in spring and summer time outdoor is crucial. Camping and hiking is popular activities but its also very common to find a tick on your clothing. So know what the tick looks like, and go to a physician as soon as you find one on you. Not all people find the common bulls eye on them. So please don’t over think it be aware. Lyme disease has been a hot topic for many years the debate still continues whether or not a chronic illness exists.

**References**

Mayo Clinic.org (n.d.) Lyme Disease.*MayoClinic.org.* Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lyme-disease/basics/definition/con-20019701.

Lymedisease.org(n.d.) Lyme 101.*LymeDisease.org.* Retrived from http://www.lymedisease.org/lyme101/prevention/lyme\_prevention.html.

lymediseaseassociation.org (n.d.) Lyme disease Symptoms. *lymediseaseassociation.org.* Retrived from http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org/index.php/about-lyme/medical-lyme/symptom-list.

www.cdc.gov (n.d.) Treatment. *ww'**w.cdc.gov.*** **retrieved** **from http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/treatment/.**

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