Lyme Disease: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Here are the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment for Lyme disease.

Lyme disease is a condition caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. The borrelia illness is quite infectious. Humans get Lyme disease when they are bitten from a tick carrying the bacteria.

Ticks that can carry borrelia bacteria and are found in most parts of the United States. Lyme disease is most common in the upper Midwest and the northeastern and mid-Atlantic states. It's common in Europe, south central and southeastern Canada.

People who spend most of their time in places where live ticks are found, they are at the higher risk of Lyme disease. Live ticks are usually found in grassy, brushy or wooded areas.

B. burgdorferi is transmitted to humans by a bite from an infected black-legged or deer tick. These ticks feed on infected deer, birds, or mice. The tick has to stay on the skin for 36 to 48 hours to transmit the infection and you may not even realise the tick bite.

Let's know the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of Lyme disease.

Lyme Disease: Causes

Lyme disease is caused by borrelia bacteria which is mainly caused by the black-legged tick, also called the deer tick that commonly carry the bacteria.

Ticks feed on blood by attaching to a host's skin and it leaves the host's skin until it's swollen to many times its typical size and they may end up feeding on a host's blood for several days.

Ticks pick up bacteria from a deer or rodent without them getting sick but they can pass the bacteria to another host, even to a human by feeding on their blood. The bacteria may not to be able to spread Lyme disease if you remove the tick within 24 hours.

Lyme Disease: Symptoms 

According to US NIH, some people with Lyme disease report symptoms that may include:

• Arthritis that begins with Lyme disease and doesn't improve.

• Body aches and pains.

• Fatigue

• Memory related issues.

• joint pain and swelling

• muscle aches

• headache

• fever

• swollen lymph nodes

• sleep disturbances

• difficulty concentrating

Lyme Disease: Diagnosis

Your health professional may review your health history, may examine you physically to look for tick bites. They may look for a rash or other symptoms of Lyme disease. Tests for Lyme disease as per CDC include:

• Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect antibodies against B. burgdorferi.

• Western blot to confirm a positive ELISA test and check for the presence of antibodies to specific B. burgdorferi proteins.

• Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to see if people suffer from persistent Lyme arthritis or nervous system symptoms.

Lyme Disease: Treatment & Prevention

According to Healthline, it is best to treat Lyme disease in the early stages when the infection is localized since it is a simple 10- to 14-day course of oral antibiotics to eliminate the infection. Other medications include:

doxycycline, amoxicillin, or cefuroxime, first hand treatment for adults and children

cefuroxime and amoxicillin for women who are breastfeeding

Intravenous (IV) antibiotics are used for those who have cardiac or central nervous system (CNS) involvement.

According to MedicalNewsToday, the prevention tips for Lyme disease include:

• Avoid tick bites when you are outdoors in grassy, wooded areas or overgrown fields.

• Spray your outdoor clothing, shoes, tent and camping gear with a tick repellent

• Use an insect repellent on any exposed skin, except your face.

• Do not use products with OLE or PMD on children under age 3.

• Shower to wash off any loose ticks

• Use a mirror to check your body, especially underarms, hair and hairline, ears, waist, and the area between your legs, behind your knees, and inside your bellybutton.

• Wash your outdoor clothes after putting them in the dryer on hot for at least 10 minutes to kill ticks.