Diagnosis and Treatment of Lyme Disease

Diagnosis and Treatment of Lyme Disease

What Exactly Is Lyme Disease?

Lyme is an infectious disease which is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. This infection is a type of bacteria called spirochete, which is carried by deer ticks and can transmit or infect the spirochete to humans or any animals it bites. These ticks if not treated travels through the bloodstream. While travelling through these blood streams they often establish themselves in various tissues of the body. This leads to a number of symptoms, some of which can be severe in nature. Generally, the symptoms can occur anywhere from 3 to 30 days after the bite. Depending on the stage of the infection the symptoms also tend to appear months after the bite.

Symptoms of Lyme Disease

The early signs and symptoms of this disease are often very mild in nature which are easily ignored. The signs and symptoms include:-

  • Fever
  • A severe headache
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle and joint pain
  • Swollen lymph nodes
  • Stiffness in the neck
  • Numbness
  • Tingling in the hands or feet
  • Rashes on other areas of the body
  • Loss of muscle tone
  • Heart palpitation
  • Irregular heartbeat
  • Inflammation
  • Shooting pains

Diagnosis of Lyme disease

The diagnosis from a Lyme Disease Specialist is based on the symptoms and history of tick exposure. Blood tests are helpful for diagnosis, but the accuracy of the test depends on when an individual is infected by the disease. In the initial few weeks of the infection the tests may often come as negative. Experts suggest that the earlier the treatment, the less likely the disease is to progress. Specialists may not recognize symptoms that are not accompanied by a rash.
Treatment for Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is treated best in its early stages. The earlier treatment is a simple 14 to 21-day course of oral antibiotics that eliminate all the traces and infection. Antibiotics are prescribed to individuals depending on their age, type of chronic disease and the symptoms it shows. Treatment for Lyme disease eliminates the infection and improves the symptom gradually. Whereas symptoms like joint pain continue to show even after the bacteria have been destroyed. It is always advised by the experts to prevent the risk of experiencing a tick bite.