All you need to know about lyme disease is a systemic infection caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. Lyme disease is diagnosed based on symptoms, physical findings , and the possibility of exposure to infected ticks; laboratory testing is helpful in the later stages of disease. Lyme disease is a tick-borne illness that causes signs and symptoms ranging from rash and flu-like fever and body aches to more serious ones including joint swelling, weakness, fatigue and temporary paralysis.
Lyme disease can be transmitted from an infected mother to fetus through the placenta during pregnancy, possibly resulting in stillbirth. Lyme disease has at least 37 known species, 12 of which are Lyme related, and an unknown number of genomic strains. Lyme disease can affect the skin, joints, nervous system, and other organ systems. Symptoms, and their severity, can vary from person to person. In about 50% of the cases a characteristic rash or lesion called erythema migrans is seen. It begins a few days to a few weeks after the bite of an infected tick.
Lyme disease symptoms usually include fever, headaches, joint aches, and general tiredness early in the disease, and the vague nature of these symptoms makes The disease is somewhat hard to diagnose unless the typical “bullseye” rash is present as well. Another problem is that the screening test for Lyme does return false positives in some cases. In those cases, another, more expensive, test is done, the Western Blot test, which can determine whether the disease is in fact present.
Doxycycline – bacteriostatic properties stops synthesis of bacteria replication. Inhibits bacterial protein synthesis. Amoxicillin – bacteriostatic properties do not kill bacterium, but do halt bacterial growth by inhibition of cell wall synthesis. Ceftriaxone – (intravenous therapy) bactericidal properties kill bacterium. Wear a hat and a long-sleeved shirt for added protection. Wear light-colored clothing so that ticks can be spotted more easily. Wash all clothes after leaving tick-infested areas, and bathe and shampoo your child thoroughly to eliminate any unseen ticks.
Lyme Disease Treatment Solution :
1. Oral antibiotics -usually doxycycline for adults and children older than 8.
2. Use repellents only in small amounts, avoiding unnecessary repeat application.
3. Try to reduce the use of repellents by dressing in long sleeves and pants tucked into socks or boots.
4. Do not apply near eyes, nose or mouth and use sparingly around ears. Do not apply to the hands of small children.
5. Use an insect repellent containing deep or permethrin.
