Treating lyme disease

Introduction

Lyme disease is a bacterial illness that is transmitted to the humans through the bite of a tick. The disease is reported in many regions of the world, including the northeast, mid-Atlantic, north central and Pacific coastal regions of America and within Europe.

It can affect a person of any age and is usually picked up by people who spend a lot of time in nature, usually in wooded areas and places with tall grass where a tick can be found.

A young tick, called a nymph, is active usually throughout the spring and summer seasons, from the middle of May to late August.

Adult ticks are usually active from March to May and from August to November. Both the young and adult ticks can infect a person.

Symptoms

When a person is bitten by a tick, they will usually notice a rash on the skin, appearing first in the area in which the person was bitten by the tick. The rash will burn when touched and it can often vary in size, shape and color, though usually, it has red rings around a clear center.

Sometimes it is hard to diagnose such a bite as a tick bite, because there are man rashes that occur from different insect bites that appear to be exactly the same as this one.

About seven to ten days after the initial bite, there will be new symptoms of the lyme disease, including flu-like symptoms such as fevers, chills, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, fatigue, aching muscles and joint pain.

TreatmentAntibiotic therapy is usually used in order to treat the lyme disease, and most of the time, it will lead to a complete recovery if administered on time. Doxycycline or amoxycillin will be taken twice a day for about seven days if it is the beginning stage of the disease that must be treated, but if the disease is in a later phase, a doctor may prescribe something more aggressive like cephalosporin.

The best way to prevent lyme disease is to avoid areas that could be infested with ticks and to use bug repellents when moving through such areas that have tall grasses and are heavily wooded. It is also important to wear long sleeves and pants and to try and completely cover all skin that is in the open so that ticks cannot bite. Wearing bright colors will also repel the ticks and it will make them easier for removal if they bite, because a person will be able to see them on the bright surface of the clothes.