Lyme disease is a disease which is caused due to bacterium called Spirochete. People should know what is Lyme disease? This is because the Lyme disease is spread via ticks. Causes of the Lyme disease are when ticks bite on skin, the bacteria which are harbored in their stomach infects body. About Lyme disease is not contagious that is it doesn’t get transmitted from infected person to another. Ticks are vectors which transmit bacterium into humans with tick bite. Lyme disease cases have been reported in Northeastern United States, and all most fifty states, in China, Japan, Europe, Australia and some parts of the Soviet Union. It should be noted that number of cases depends on number of infected ticks in the area which results in spread of disease in neighborhood. How you can get Lyme disease is when the infected ticks bite you. All ticks don’t cause Lyme disease.

Symptoms of Lyme disease:

Lyme disease starts from the area where tick bites, wherein bacteria enters. Thereafter the bacteria spread and affect different body parts in varying degrees. Initially it causes reddish rash which is expanding. Its accompanied by flu like symptoms. Infected person can experience on later stages abnormalities in his joints, in nervous system and in heart. Lyme disease happens to be in three stages:

Early localized disease where there is skin inflammation with red expanding ring with a bull’s eye like appearance. Later person experiences fatigue, stiffness in muscles and joints, swelling of lymph nodes and headache.

Early disseminated disease: affects the heart, include palsies and meningitis as nervous system gets involved.

Late disease: damage of sensory and motor nerves, brain inflammation, arthritis, Inflammation of heart, abnormal rhythm of the heart beats, heart failure, facial muscle paralysis, peripheral neuropathy, meningitis and confusion.

How to test for Lyme disease?

Lyme disease when in early stage is diagnosed by the reddish bull’s eye like rash. Regions where Lyme disease is common doctors are able to diagnose it easily. Lyme disease has common symptoms with many other chronic diseases. So patients history is to be examined such that doctor can be sure. Test for Lyme disease is done to confirm the diagnosis. Initially if the disease is in early stage then test for Lyme disease is not useful. But the test helps in diagnosing in later stage of the Lyme disease. The body’s immune system produces antibodies against the bacteria which gives evidence of body’s exposure to bacteria. But antibodies test is not reliable one, as the antibodies persist for years even after the Lyme disease has been cured. So the confirmatory test for the Lyme disease is Western Blot Assay Antibody test. When there are unexplained disorders of heart, or in joints and in nervous system then its sign of Lyme disease. Treatment of Lyme disease is done with antibiotics.

Related Posts :

Threats to Health added in 2011