Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Details Regarding Living With Lyme Disease

By Iva Cannon


A number of ailments can arise in those who have been bitten by infected animals or insects. Lyme disease is a condition brought on by bacterium called Borrelia burgdofrderi. This is transmitted to human beings bitten by infected black-legged ticks. Living with Lyme disease is possible, particularly with help from trained health care professionals.

Some common symptoms and signs of this infection are headache, fever and fatigue. There is also the skin rash known as erythema migrants or EM, which is commonly seen in infected patients. If this disease is not treated, it can lead to an infection that spreads across the joints, heart and nervous system in the body.

Lyme disease must be properly diagnosed before any kind of treatment is applied. Usually this process involves assessing patient symptoms, which might involve looking over physical findings. Patients and doctors should always consider the possibility of exposure. After all, there are some people who might have a higher likelihood of contracting this because of their proximity to infected ticks. Lab testing is fundamental for getting accurate, detailed results on the status of a patient.

Generally, many of these cases can be treated in just a month. Usually antibiotics are administered to patients. Every case will differ in many ways, including the severity of the symptoms. Patients should be able to ask questions, voice concerns and otherwise communicate with their doctors regarding treatment and care options. Results of treatment will differ.

Antibiotics are considered effective in the early stages. When caught early, people can recover quickly and completely. Those with cardiac or neurological infections might need intravenous treatment done using drugs like penicillin or ceftriaxone. It is rare, but some patients who were diagnosed late might experience recurring symptoms after they are treated. This is recognized as Post-treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome or PTLDS. Doctors are available to aid patients suffering with PTLDS.

There was once a vaccine for this diseases, but it was discontinued by the manufacturer in 2002. Nowadays, the best defense against contracting this disease is staying away from areas where there are infected ticks. April through September are the warmer months of the year and also the times when tickets are most active. It is important that people take preventative actions during this time and throughout the entire year. To avoid tick bites, people should stay away from bushy or woody places, make use of repellents, walk in the center of trails and always do a check for ticks once inside. It is fundamental that ticks be located and removed promptly.

Severe symptoms and PTLDS are not as likely to occur when an earlier diagnosis is met. People who have bites who live in or frequent areas with infected ticks, should pay close attention to their signs and symptoms. In the first 30 days after the bite, people are considered to be in the early localized stage. This is a time when people may notice the EM rash forming. It might be present with joint and muscle aches, fever, swollen lymph nodes, chills and fatigue.

All cases are different. Some people might have a tick bite that goes away after a few days, which might mean that this type of infection is not present. Still, ticks can spread across organisms and create different kinds of rashes. People should do research and utilize available resources when managing this condition.




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