During the warmer months, talk of Lymes disease always surfaces. People and their pets are out and about more, so it makes sense that the chances of contracting the disease is more likely. But is it? According to the Center for Disease Control, about 300,000 are diagnosed with Lyme disease in the US every year. Seems like the odds are pretty good that someone you know will get Lyme disease.
What exactly is Lyme disease? It is a bacterial infection transmitted by Ixodes ticks. These ticks are known as mainly as deer ticks, but on the West Coast, they are called black-legged ticks.The ticks transmit a corkscrew-shaped bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi into your bloodstream. The disease causes flu-like symptoms. This makes it difficult to diagnose the disease because the symptoms are similar to many other illnesses. The disease can affect any organ of the body, including the brain and nervous …show more content…
Because Lyme disease has very similar symptoms as other illnesses, it’s often misdiagnosed. Symptoms of the disease include: fatigue, neck stiffness or pain, jaw discomfort, muscle pain, joint aches, swollen glands, memory loss, cognitive confusion, vision problems, digestive issues and headaches. Many individuals do not know they were even bitten by a tick.
Lyme is diagnosed with a blood test. Timing is everything when testing for Lyme. It takes 4 to 5 weeks for antibodies to appear in the bloodstream, if tested too soon, you can get a false negative.
The Lyme bacteria is hard to kill. Even with proper diagnosis and treatment, sometimes the disease will not go away, especially if it was not detected early and the disease spreads several parts of the body. This leads to chronic Lyme disease. Untreated or undertreated Lyme can cause some people to develop severe symptoms that are difficult to resolve.
Lyme is treated with antibiotics. Since Lyme is caused by a bacteria, the treatment of the disease involves a course of doxycycline and
What exactly is Lyme disease? It is a bacterial infection transmitted by Ixodes ticks. These ticks are known as mainly as deer ticks, but on the West Coast, they are called black-legged ticks.The ticks transmit a corkscrew-shaped bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi into your bloodstream. The disease causes flu-like symptoms. This makes it difficult to diagnose the disease because the symptoms are similar to many other illnesses. The disease can affect any organ of the body, including the brain and nervous …show more content…
Because Lyme disease has very similar symptoms as other illnesses, it’s often misdiagnosed. Symptoms of the disease include: fatigue, neck stiffness or pain, jaw discomfort, muscle pain, joint aches, swollen glands, memory loss, cognitive confusion, vision problems, digestive issues and headaches. Many individuals do not know they were even bitten by a tick.
Lyme is diagnosed with a blood test. Timing is everything when testing for Lyme. It takes 4 to 5 weeks for antibodies to appear in the bloodstream, if tested too soon, you can get a false negative.
The Lyme bacteria is hard to kill. Even with proper diagnosis and treatment, sometimes the disease will not go away, especially if it was not detected early and the disease spreads several parts of the body. This leads to chronic Lyme disease. Untreated or undertreated Lyme can cause some people to develop severe symptoms that are difficult to resolve.
Lyme is treated with antibiotics. Since Lyme is caused by a bacteria, the treatment of the disease involves a course of doxycycline and