Lyme Disease And Its Symptoms
October 15, 2009
Lyme disease is an infection caused by the bacteria called spirochete. These bacteria are also known as Borrelia burgdorferi. Normally these bacteria are transmitted through ticks of Ixodes genus which is otherwise called deer ticks.
Usually these bacteria are seen in deer and mice and when the ticks bite the infected animal they will get the bacteria. Ticks then act as the vectors and carry these bacteria in their stomach. Later when ticks bite human beings they will transmit these bacteria to the human body.
Risk Factors of Tick bite
If your pet is carrying ticks, then your chances of getting tick bite are more. If you spend more time in shrubs, tall grasses or in wooded areas then also you are at risk. Your participation in hunting in the tick invaded woody areas, camping, yard work, fishing also increases the chances of getting infected.
The symptoms of lyme disease appears after three to thirty days after getting the tick bite. It may cause infections on the skin, joints, heart, nervous system, brain etc. the symptoms usually appears in three stages.
First these bacteria may cause rashes around their entry point on the skin. Normally the rashes are showing a bull’s eye appearance in which there will be a center point of red colored rashes that is surrounded by a clear skin.
The clear skin is again surrounded by a ring of red rashes. This pattern of rashes can easily be seen on light skinned people rather than the dark skinned ones. There won’t be any itching or pain in this spot.
In the second stage the person may feel flu like symptoms accompanied with headache, fatigue, pain in the muscles, swollen lymph nodes etc. These symptoms may appear even after weeks and months of tick bite.
If the symptoms are left untreated then the infection may spread to other body parts causing rashes on other parts of the body. It may affect the heart and nervous system and thus causing chest pain, facial paralysis, numbness in legs and arms etc.
In later stage when the disease is not overlooked then it may cause arthritis especially in the knees. Inflammation in the brain may cause lapse of memory also.
When you have ring like rashes or prolonged flu then you have to consult a doctor and make sure that you are free from Lyme disease.
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