Lyme disease is a common vector-borne disease that majorly affects people living in or spending time in grassy and heavily wooded areas.
Lyme disease causes:
Mostly spread by ticks, this disease is carried by four types of bacteria namely:
- Borrelia burgdorferi and Borreliamayonii (United States)
- Borreliaafzelii and Borreliagarinii (Europe and Asia)
Young brown ticks often are no bigger than a poppy seed, which can make them nearly impossible to spot. If you spot a tick or a bump that has reddened or swollen it is wise to get in touch with an internal medicine doctor to treat the wound in order to prevent the infection from spreading. In case symptoms persist, it is best to seek a second opinion with the best internal medicine doctor offering quality care.
Minor Lyme disease symptoms include rashes accompanied by fever, chills, fatigue, body aches, headache, neck stiffness and swollen lymph nodes
At a later (or undiagnosed/ untreated) stage, Lyme disease symptoms include
- Erythema migrans– A condition where expandingrashes may appear on other areas of your body.
- Joint pain. Bouts of severe joint pain and swelling are especially likely to affect your knees, but the pain can shift from one joint to another.
- Neurological problems. Weeks, months or even years after infection, you might develop inflammation of the membranes surrounding your brain (meningitis), temporary paralysis of one side of your face (Bell’s palsy), numbness or weakness in your limbs, and impaired muscle movement.
Complications
Untreated Lyme disease can cause:
- Chronic joint inflammation (Lyme arthritis), particularly of the knee
- Neurological symptoms, such as facial palsy and neuropathy
- Cognitive defects, such as impaired memory
- Heart rhythm irregularities
Lyme disease treatment or infectious disease treatment usually involves the administration of antibiotics.
- Oral antibiotics are the standard treatment for early-stage Lyme disease. Like doxycycline for adults and children older than 8 years of age, or amoxicillin or cefuroxime for adults, younger children, and pregnant or breastfeeding women. A 14- to 21-day course of antibiotics is usually recommended.
- Intravenous antibiotics. If the central nervous system has been affected, a rheumatoid doctor or internal medicine doctor can recommend an intravenous antibiotic for 14 to 28 days as a part of infectious diseases treatment. This is effective in eliminating the infection. An important thing to note is the side effects that follow post-consumption including a lower white blood cell count, mild to severe diarrhoea, or colonisation or infection with other antibiotic-resistant organisms unrelated to Lyme.
Since rashes, stiffness of muscles, swollen lymph nodes, fever, and chills occur in the case of Lyme disease, it is often misdiagnosed as another chronic neurological disease. If you have been uncertain about your current diagnosis and/or treatment, it is time to seek a second opinion from the best internal medicine doctor or best Neurologist in Delhi. Simply search online for a rheumatoid doctor near me and you will be redirected to accomplished doctors who can help you with a new evaluation and treatment plan.