Symptoms and Effects of Lyme Disease - Essay Example

Lyme disease Introduction Lyme disease is an infection that is brought about the bite of an infected tick called the deer tick. The recognition of the disease was first done in 1975 by researchers who were eager to understand the reason behind the infection of the juvenile rheumatoid arthritis among the children in Lyme, as well as in the neighboring cities. The researchers were able to diagnose the infection and clearly outlined that those who were largely infected were those who lived near wooded areas. Transmission According to Peterson (2001), transmission is attributed to the fact that the wooded areas are easier to harbor the ticks from the livestock grazing on the land. This leaves the ticks on the ground since some may fall from the animals thus posing a health threat to those living around the area making them prone to the Lyme disease. The signs on the infected children were said to begin at around the summer period that was a coinciding season for the ticks. The ordinary ticks such as the wood ticks were are not contagious with the disease and thus they cannot infect a person even after biting. Dog ticks also do not as well carry the infection and on their invasion to a person and they happen to bite, no harm of infection that can result from the bite (Kotb, 2003). The infected ticks usually breed and mate on the animal they are hosted on especially the deer as part of the life cycle that they undergo. The number of the infected ticks has been increasing steadily day to day, as the number the carried by deers have been lately increasing. A study done by Kelly (2011) shows that the host animals are mostly the far covered animals such as deer, opossums, footed field mice, chipmunks, skunks, squirrels, horses, and raccoons among other small animals that are mostly found in the wooded areas. The ticks breed very easily on the skin surface of the animals as they find conducive environment for their hideout. Most of the researcher carried out has found that the deer ticks are becoming common in cities country wide. The cities that have been mentioned include New Jersey, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, and Maryland among others. Symptoms and effects of Lyme disease? Several patients were reported to be having skin rashes that were peculiar, and were followed by symptoms of arthritis (Nitch, 2007). The patients also recalled their fate of being bitten by ticks thus clearly proving that the disease is brought by the tick bite. The rashes appear on the skin’s surface especially the place where the tick did bite thus infecting the person. With further research, the researchers found out that small deer ticks also caused the disease through a spiral shaped bacteria also called spirochete. The bacterium was afterwards named Borrelia burgdorferi. Upon infection, the early stages are usually characterized with a flu-like signs which may include joint pains, headaches, fever, muscle aches, fatigue, swollen lymph, stiff neck, and chills. Rashes are usually said to be the main signs that appear around the expanding skin of the infected person on the area that the tick had bitten (Alford, 2000). With the advancement and maturity of the infection, certain signs are experienced such as arthritis and the nerves problems. A rush appearing on the expanding is usually found in about 70 to 80 percent of the infected persons. Erythema migrans and Arthritis The telltale rash is called Erythema migrans; it starts as a small reddish spot on the bitten area that slowly expands in any shape. It usually appears in a period of three days to some few weeks after the bite. The rash, which can range in size from that of a dime to the entire width of a persons back, appears between three days and a few weeks of a tick bite, usually occurring at the site of a bite (Alford, 2000). As infection spreads, several rashes can appear at different places on the body. Arthritis is another infection that is brought about by lack of treatment of the Lyme disease. Arthritis attacks approximately 60% of the people who go untreated having its effects on the body joints. The infection results in swollen and usually painful joints. Neurological symptoms The illness can also cause distress to the nervous system causing neurological symptoms. The Lyme disease causes a stiff neck and meningitis (severe headaches), Bell’s palsy, limbs pain, poor coordination, as well as numbness to the infected person (Levy, 2005). The abnormalities of the nervous system develop following a case of untreated infection and usually develop complications to the functionality of various body parts. Lack of the treatment of the disease may result to major brain disorders, as well as those of the nervous system resulting to complications such as paralyzing and brain damage. Heart problems Heart problems are complications that are developed by rather a small portion of the infected persons. Heart problems developed may be characterized by slow and irregular heartbeat. The effects can be beckoned by breath shortness and dizziness. The problem appears some weeks after the infection and they usually start to have their resolution even before the commencement of the cure process. Is Lyme disease fatal? Lyme disease may be fatal in some cases, but at times not very fatal. With the availability of its curative methods, the numbers of deaths are usually low and in only those who do not treat the infections (Abelsohn, 2008). Lyme disease’s death cases are minimal country wide and globally as the health sector has been able to curb the infection providing the medical services to the prone individuals’ thus adequate and effective treatment of the disease. People living in or near wooded areas which are populated with the deer ticks are usually prone to the disease, but it is possible prevent death cases through proper and appropriate treatment. Spreading of the disease Depending with the population of the areas that are said to be prone to the disease, the number of the infected people varies from place to place. In the country for example, the number of those infected in the states vary from one state to the other. This is due to the variations in the presence of the ticks. Though United States is the leading country in the Lyme disease infection, the infections are rising at a much higher rate from one state to the other (Silverstein, Silverstein, & Nunn, 2000). The cases of the infections reported annually may add up to 15,000 cases country wide. The most infested states with 90 percent being reported from are Connecticut, Maryland, New York, Delaware, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania among others. Globally, cases of the infection are also at a rise in the infested areas. With the seasonal variations in the climatic conditions, the rate and the magnitude of the infections vary from time to time (Williams, 2012). This makes it much predictable for infection periods thus being able to curb the spread of the disease and coming up with preventive measures, as well as the curative measures. This helps in reducing the rate of infections thus reduced death rates. Treatment Various health experts have come up with the antibiotics for the treatment of the disease among the infected person (Stewart, 2003). The antibiotics are taken for 3-4 weeks with amoxicillinordoxycycline being much effective on the early stages of the disease. Due to the fact that some individuals are said to be allergic to penicillin, they are treated using tetracycline. The treatment using the antibiotics is generally effective and is highly used for the treatment of the disease globally. Williams (2012) affirms that when the disease has reached a maturity stage with such infections as the neurologic infestations they are treated for four or more weeks with penicillin orintravenous ceftriaxone. The period take for a complete treatment depends on the severity of the disease. This would in turn bring about the usage of different antibiotics for the ranges of the severity of the infection. Drugs used for the treatment of the disease Amoxicillin Amoxicillin is antibiotics in the class of penicillin. This is an anti-biotic used for treating certain bacterial infections such as those caused by Borrelia burgdorferi which is the bacteria that cause the Lyme disease (Yerges, Stanley & Fein, 2005). The anti-biotic is also used in the treatment of other disease such as bronchitis, gonorrhea and other infections that occur on the other parts of the body such as the nose, ears, throat among others. Amoxicillin is also used in combination with other medications to treat other diseases such as ulcers. Doxycycline hyclate, doxycycline monohydrate oral, and doxycycline calcium oral These are anti-biotic that are used for the treatment of various infections among them being the Lyme disease (Yannielli, & Alcamo, 2004). The anti-biotic are alsopreventive measures for malaria. The anti-biotic neither cure nor prevent flu, colds and other related viral infections. Tetracycline The anti-biotic is used to cure the repiratory infections as well as the infections from some other bacteria such as those from the Borrelia burgdorferi that cause the Lyme disease. The anti-biotic heals the skin infections and pneumonia (Abelsohn, 2008). It is in the class of tetracycline anti-biotic that work by preventing the growth and the spread of the bacteria in the body system. The drugs used may cause several side effects such as stomach upsets, diarrhea and vomiting, thus the usage of the antibiotic should be under the prescription of the medical practitioner. Any related information of the outcomes of its use should be reported to the doctor before the prescription to make them aware of the effects (Yerges, Stanley & Fein, 2005). The severity of the disease requires different anti-biotic thus the usage of wrong prescriptions may result in negative health outcomes. The age differences are also among the limiting factors in the dosage of the drugs; this is because the dose taken by a child is totally different from that of the adults. References: Abelsohn, A. (2008). Addressing the health effects of climate change family physicians are key. Toronto, Ont.: Ontario College of Family Physicians. Alford, D. V. (2000). Pest and disease management handbook. Oxford: Published for the British Crop Protection Council by Blackwell Science. Kelly, S. (2011). Lyme disease. Detroit: Lucent Books. Kotb, M. (2003). Cytokines and Chemokines in Infectious Diseases Handbook. Infectious Disease. New York: Macmilan. Levy, B. S. (2005). Preventing occupational disease and injury (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: American Public Health Association. Nitch, P. v. (2007). Research on Lyme disease. New York: Novinka Books. Peterson, J. M. (2001). Lyme disease. Mankato, Minn.: LifeMatters. Silverstein, A., Silverstein, V. B., & Nunn, L. S. (2000). Lyme disease. New York: Franklin Watts. Stewart, G. B. (2003). Lyme disease. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Lucent Books ;. Williams, M. E. (2012). Lyme disease. Detroit: Gale Cengage Learning/Greenhaven Press. Yannielli, L., & Alcamo, I. E. (2004). Lyme disease. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers. Yerges, K. P., Stanley, R. L., & Fein, L. A. (2005). Confronting Lyme disease: what patient stories teach us. La Grande, OR: The Mitres Touch Gallery. Read More