Lyme disease

Lyme disease or Lyme borreliosis is an infectious tick-borne disease, caused by the Borrelia spirochete, a gram-negative microorganism.

Symptoms

Lyme disease has many symptoms, but skin symptoms, arthritis and various neurological symptoms are usually present. Conventional therapy is with antibiotics.

Related Topics:
Arthritis - Neurological

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Acute (early) symptoms

• "bull's-eye" rash (erythema migrans) - a circle or ring of inflamed skin surrounding the initial tick bite) or papular (raised) rash
• fever
• malaise
• fatigue
• headache
• muscle and joint aches in large joints
• sore throat
• sinus infection
• paralysis - usually associated with Lyme meningitis or Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

The incubation period from infection to the onset of symptoms is usually 1–2 weeks, but can be much shorter (a couple of days), or even as long as one month. However, it is possible for an infected person to display no symptoms, or display only one or two symptoms, which can make diagnosis difficult.

Related Topics:
Incubation period - Diagnosis

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Chronic (late) symptoms

• meningitis
• neuropathy - numbness, tingling, burning
• muscle and joint aches
• tremor, twitches
• Bell's palsy
• pain
• immune suppression
• myalgia
• fatigue
• hallucinations
• short-term memory loss

The late symptoms of Lyme disease can appear months to years from infection. Left untreated, Lyme disease can cause chronic disability, but is rarely fatal. Fatality can occur when the spirochete enters brain fluids and causes meningitis, or due to conductivity defects in the heart. Chronic cases have been known to linger for years before a definitive diagnosis.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Lyme disease is often misdiagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and many other autoimmune and neurological diseases, which leaves the infection untreated and allows it to further penetrate the organism. If the neurologic form of borreliosis is left untreated for years, it may lead to severe debility of the patient. Spirochetes have been noted in deaths in observed autopsy reports.

Related Topics:
Chronic fatigue syndrome - Multiple sclerosis - Autoimmune

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~