Lyme disease is something that many people who live here in
New England worry about, and rightly so.
We have a large number of ticks in the area and they have the potential
to carry the bacteria that causes Lyme. So,
let’s take a few moments to discuss some important things to know about Lyme. First, let’s start with the most reassure aspect,
not all ticks care Lyme and even if you have been bitten by a tick it takes
36-72hours of an infected tick being latched to a person to transmit the
bacteria. So, if you remove a tick that
is still flat and hasn’t become full of blood, chances are low that you have
become infected. Now for the not so reassuring,
only about 20-25% of patients with Lyme recall being bitten by a tick and only
80% of people infect will develop a bull’s eye rash. This is why your provider may check for Lyme
via a blood test if you are showing any signs or symptoms that may be related
to Lyme. Symptoms of early Lyme include:
The classic bulls eye rash which will show up 7-14 days after exposure,
fatigue, muscle aches, joint pain, headache, neck stiffness, poor or no
appetite, and/or fever. Basically, the
same symptoms you might have if you had the flu. Later stages of Lyme have different symptoms
and can be harder to diagnosis. These
symptoms may have more nerve or heart based symptoms. So there are lots of reasons why your provider
might want to check to rule out Lyme as a possible cause, especially as in most
people early treatment with an antibiotic is effective. The best thing you can do is try and avoid
tick bites by wearing long pants when out in areas that would have a large
number of ticks such as wood areas. Also,
regularly check for ticks after you’ve been outside. If you can remove the tick before or soon
after latching your chances of getting Lyme are greatly decreased. If you are worried that you might have been
bitten by a tick or are concerned you might have Lyme Disease call and speak to
your provider as soon as possible.
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