Lyme Disease

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DEFINITION    IDENTIFYING TICKS    PREVENTION TIPS    POST-BITE TIPS    SUPPORT AND LINKS

Definition
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that is usually transmitted by a tick bite. The CDC defines Lyme disease as being caused by bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi. Midwest research has documented that any kind of tick can harbor this bacterium. It is important to know the symptoms, because a delay in diagnosis and treatment can cause the disease to become chronic and disabling, sometimes leading to death. Immediate treatment gives the best chance for a cure. The International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) doctors recommend at least 6 weeks of antibiotics for early infection, because shorter courses of treatment can result in relapses and chronic illness. (See www.ilads.org.) Chronic infection usually requires longer treatment. People sometimes think they are cured but then have a relapse and develop new symptoms months or years later, which can be difficult to diagnose.

Early Symptoms After the tick bite, early symptoms usually develop within 3 to 32 days. These may include: a rash, headache, fatigue, fever, chills, stiff neck, muscle aches, joint pain, cognitive problems, swollen lymph nodes, and other flu-like symptoms. People may not get all of these symptoms. The rash may start as a red or purple spot and may slowly expand over several days. It's called the EM rash (for erythema migrans, which means, "expanding redness"). It may develop central clearing, and may or may not develop rings and resemble a bull's eye. It can be round or oval and can range in size from small to 18" in diameter. The rash usually appears at the bite site, but not always, and there can be multiple spots. This EM rash can be used to diagnose Lyme disease, as no other disease can cause it. Other types of rashes can also occur.

Misdiagnosis Many people do not get a rash or other early signs of infection. Other symptoms may appear weeks, months, or years later. These can include chronic fatigue, muscle pain, joint pain with or without swelling, and heart, eye, skin, and neurological problems, including psychiatric problems, numbness, tingling, and muscle weakness. Lyme disease can cause symptoms similar to fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, MS, ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), Parkinson's, rheumatoid arthritis, Bell's Palsy, depression, ADD (attention deficit disorder), lupus, Alzheimer's, and other diseases. It can cause mood and behavioral changes, and memory, thinking and concentration problems.

Pregnancy A woman with active Lyme disease during pregnancy can have a miscarriage, stillbirth, or a child born with disabilities and health problems. Antibiotic treatment throughout pregnancy can prevent this. A child born with the disease can benefit from antibiotics. Lyme bacteria have been found in breast milk and blood. People with Lyme disease should not donate blood or organs.

Co-infections A person can get more than one disease from a single tick bite. Co-infections make diagnosis and treatment more difficult. Other major tick-borne diseases include ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), tularemia (rabbit fever), babesiosis, bartonella (cat scratch fever), relapsing fever, and tick paralysis. Ehrlichiosis and RMSF can cause severe illness, which can result in death within 2 weeks if not treated with doxycycline. Tick paralysis is a rare allergic reaction to a tick bite. Paralysis begins in the lower legs and spreads upward. It can result in death in less than 2 days if the tick is not found and removed. Once the tick is removed, the patient usually recovers. (The tick causing this is often in the armpit or under the hair of the scalp.) Lyme is the most prevalent tick-borne disease. Not all tick bites result in disease. Not all ticks are infected.

With the mild winter ticks should be thriving again this year. Don't be afraid to enjoy outdoor recreational pursuits, but be aware of ticks and that Lyme disease is out there.