Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Can Lyme Disease Cause High Blood Pressure

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Hyperglycemia Impairs The Immune Response To Borrelia Burgdorferi

Heart Disease | Causes, Symptoms, Treatments

A preclinical study published in PLoS One recently found that high blood sugar, referred to as hyperglycemia in the medical community, impairs the function of neutrophils, mediators that play a central role in the immune response to the Lyme pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi. Reduced neutrophil activity allows for widespread colonization of body tissues, including the brain and joints, by B. burgdorferi and reduces clearance of the bacteria from the body. These findings indicate that maintenance of blood sugar within a healthy range should be an essential part of any Lyme disease treatment protocol.

Lyme Carditis: How Does Lyme Disease Affect The Heart

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As the weather warms, you may hear about more cases of Lyme disease. This condition, which spreads through tick bites, can cause a wide range of symptoms and even affect your heart if left untreated.

When Lyme bacteria reach your heart tissue, it can cause Lyme carditis, which affects your hearts electrical system. Learn more about this condition.

The Chronic Lyme Controversy

Lyme disease, first identified in the United States in the 1970s, has grown into a health epidemic as the ticks that transmit it to humans expand their range. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now estimates that about 300,000 people in the U.S. become newly infected every year now. The symptoms can be debilitating, including neurological symptoms, extreme fatigue and muscle and joint pain.

When symptoms linger long after a diagnosed patient receives the standard antibiotic treatment, like the nurse in Maryland experienced, the patient may have a condition called post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, a subset of chronic Lyme disease. Many experts in the field estimate about 10% to 20% of patients diagnosed with Lyme disease get this syndrome.

The controversy around chronic Lyme disease emerged when patient advocacy groups and some doctors began to use the term to describe patients who had nonspecific symptoms such as fatigue and pain, and testing did not always show that they had been exposed to Lyme disease.

At the heart of the controversy is the question: Can a person have a chronic bacterial infection that may not show up on tests?

These patients are frustrated with a medical establishment whose focus is on evidence-based treatment in a field where evidence is often lacking. Without a diagnosis by the establishment, these sick patients are often dismissed and cant get treated, leading to a sometimes toxic environment as they fight for treatment.

Read Also: How To Test For Late Stage Lyme Disease

Symptoms Of Early Stage Lyme Disease

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , early-stage Lyme disease symptoms crop up within 3 to 30 days after exposure and can include but are not limited to:

  • Fever
  • Joint pain and swelling
  • Swelling of the lymph nodes
  • Erythema migrans , a bulls-eye-shaped rash that appears at the site of the tick bite

Early Lyme disease does not always appear the same in all patients. For example, up to 30% of patients dont remember experiencing a bulls eye rash.

How To Prevent Tick

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High-risk regions for infection include the Atlantic coast from Maine to Virginia, as well as Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Lyme disease was once rare in Canada, but has been steadily ratcheting its range northward as a result of climate change.

If you live in an area where Lyme disease is common, some simple steps can minimize the risk of tick bites:

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Chronic Lyme: What Happens When Lyme Goes Untreated

The Lyme community typically uses the term chronic Lyme disease to describe a range of physical, cognitive, and emotional symptoms that crop up after getting Lyme disease and persist for months to years after infection.

The risk of chronic Lyme increases the longer a Lyme infection goes untreated or undertreated. In other words, patients are more likely to recover fully if their Lyme infection is detected and treated as early as possible after the discovery of a tick bite. This stage is usually marked by symptoms such as fevers, chills, muscle aches, and sometimes rashes.

When left untreated or undertreated, however, Lyme disease can spread throughout the body and affect:

  • The central nervous system
  • Muscles and joints

As Lymedisease.org points out, these symptoms can evolve, disappear, and reappear at different times.

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Deer Ticks That Cause Lyme Disease Is Spreading

Lyme disease, a bacterial infection that results from the bite of an infected deer tick , or Western blacklegged tick, is spreading geographically across the United States as one of the tick’s host, the adaptable white tail deer, expands its territory. As a consequence, recognizing the tick as well as the signs and symptoms of Lyme disease is becoming more important for you. And for physicians, it’s also important to recognize the tick and its disease are moving west. This means that many people are seeking treatment for Lyme disease for the first time.

If you see white tail deer in your area, there’s a good chance deer ticks are there, or soon will be.

Deer ticks are smaller than the wood ticks I grew up with in the Rocky Mountains: An adult deer tick is about the size of a sesame seed, and young ticks, called nymphs, are the size of poppy seeds.

Unfortunately, Lyme disease is most often caused by a bite from the difficult-to-see deer tick nymph.

It’s important to identify and remove these small pests because if Lyme disease isn’t diagnosed early, the bacteria can spread throughout the body and cause a number of problems, including heart disease.

I have now diagnosed Lyme disease a few times from people returning from camping in northeast Idaho and eastern Colorado.

What Should Doctors Look Out For

Alternative Pain Management for Lyme Disease

If you suspect your patient may be experiencing renal disfunction caused by Lyme disease, its important to get medical history and perform the necessary tests. Blood tests will allow you to determine if there is a build-up of any proteins or wastes in the bloodstream. A urine sample will give you a good idea of what is being excreted from the body and whether or not blood is present in the urinary system.

The best way to battle renal system issues caused by Lyme disease is to diagnose early and begin treatment immediately. The longer these problems are left without treatment, the harder to treat and more serious they become.

Image by Robina Weermeijer on Unsplash

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Should You Use Antibiotics

Different antibiotics may be used to treat children and adults. The decision to take medicines for Lyme disease may be based on one or more of these factors:

  • You have symptoms of Lyme disease, especially the red, circular rash, and a history of exposure to ticks in geographic regions where Lyme disease is known to occur.
  • Blood tests show that you have antibodies to the Lyme disease bacteria in your blood, spinal fluid, or joint fluid.
  • You are pregnant or breastfeeding and are bitten by a tick.

What Problems Can Lyme Disease Cause

While tick bites are very common, especially in the Midwest during the spring, summer and fall, there is still reason to take note of the bites. Many people do not get sick from tick bites, but if the bite is not checked, disease could be growing under the skin. Tick bites are often not painful, even when disease is involved. The lack of discomfort may appear to be a blessing, but it is a large reason that seniors must understand what the early signs of Lyme disease look like and what the disease entails. So, what problems can Lyme disease cause? And what should you watch for? Early indicators include:

A fever, joint aches and chills A rash that looks like a bulls eye Migraines Shortness of breath or dizziness Struggles with short-term memory Swollen lymph nodes

For seniors, these symptoms present complications because a symptom of Lyme disease often mimics symptoms of other conditions common in older adults. If seniors discuss any of these symptoms with their physician, they should also mention any known tick bites or any time spent outdoors in order to make their concerns clear. If Lyme disease is detected early, any antibiotic can heal the infection within three weeks. However, the longer Lyme disease goes untreated in seniors, the harder it is to cure.

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Lorraine: Dr Hilary Discusses Symptoms Of Lyme Disease

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Lyme disease is spread to humans by infected ticks which are tiny spider-like creatures which attach themselves to a person by biting the skin and embedding their mouths. The critters are found in wooded, heath and grassy areas, or can be found in a persons own garden or local park. Dr Joshua Berkowitz, founder of the Lyme Disease Clinic in London spoke exclusively to Express.co.uk and discussed the six lesser-known warning symptoms indicating you may have been infected.

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Anytime you have something irregular with the heart, you should have someone check it out, advises Dr. Rawls. The threshold for being evaluated for heart symptoms should be pretty low. In other words, if your heart feels off youre experiencing chest pain, shortness of breath, an irregular heartbeat, or something else get to a doctor as soon as possible.

While testing can help pinpoint whats going on, it may not always be spot on the first time youre evaluated, and you might need to be persistent in pursuing a diagnosis. From one patient to another, Stewart says, When it comes to something serious like your heart, dont stop searching for answers. Trust your instincts, and dont ignore it.

Once you know what youre dealing with, you and your doctor can establish a plan of care, which may include antibiotics, particularly in the acute stages of Lyme disease. Other drug therapies include beta blockers and antiarrhythmic drugs, which might be necessary to stabilize your heart rate and prevent abnormal rhythms. However, those drugs can come with a long list of side effects, and the length of time you could be required to take them will differ from physician to physician and the severity of your illness.

1. To improve the hearts electrical rhythms and the strength of its contractions, and to enhance blood flow:

  • Krill oil or fish oil, potent anti-inflammatories

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Unexplained Pain And Other Sensations

Some people with Lyme may have sharp rib and chest pains that send them to the emergency room, suspecting a heart problem 00090-7/abstract%20″ rel=”nofollow”> 27).

When no problem is found, after the usual testing, the ER diagnosis is noted as an unidentified musculoskeletal cause.

You can also have strange sensations like skin tingling or crawling, or numbness or itchiness 00090-7/abstract%20″ rel=”nofollow”> 27).

Other symptoms have to do with cranial nerves.

  • Ear-ringing . Tinnitus can be a nuisance, especially at bedtime when it seems to get louder as youre trying to fall asleep. About 10 percent of people with Lyme experience this (
  • Hearing loss. One study reported that 15 percent of Lyme patients experienced loss of hearing .
  • Jaw pain or toothaches that are not related to actual tooth decay or infection.

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Other Digestive Issues That May Be Associated With Lyme Disease

Other digestive signs that give clues there may be an underlying infection like Lyme disease are candida and parasite infections that are difficult to treat. Infection with Borrelia causes immune dysfunction, making it challenging to treat yeast or parasitic infections until Lyme is successfully treated.

How To Avoid Tick Bites

Amazing Lyme Disease Treatment & Recovery

To reduce the chance of being bitten:

  • cover your skin while walking outdoors and tuck your trousers into your socks
  • use insect repellent on your clothes and skin products containing DEET are best
  • stay on clear paths whenever possible
  • wear light-coloured clothing so ticks are easier to see and brush off

Read Also: Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Vs Lyme Disease

Internal Medicine Located In Washington Dc & Bethesda Md

Lyme disease is a serious condition thats often misdiagnosed due to the complexity of its symptoms. At Spring Valley Internal Medicine in Washington, DC, and Bethesda, Maryland, the team specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease. The medical team offers comprehensive care that focuses on easing the severity of your symptoms and protecting your general health and quality of life. To learn more about treatment options for Lyme disease, call the office or book an appointment online today.

Signs And Symptoms Of Lyme Disease

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Overview

Lyme disease is an underreported, under-researched, and often debilitating disease transmitted by spirochete bacteria. The spiral-shaped bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, are transmitted by blacklegged deer ticks. Lymes wide range of symptoms mimic those of many other ailments, making it difficult to diagnose .

The blacklegged ticks can also transmit other disease-causing bacteria, viruses, and parasites. These are known as coinfections . These ticks that transmit Lyme are increasing their geographical spread. As of 2016, they were found in about half the counties in 43 of 50 states in the United States .

Lyme is the fifth most reported of notifiable diseases in the United States, with an estimated 329,000 new cases found annually . Some studies estimate that there are as many as 1 million cases of Lyme in the United States every year .

Most people with Lyme who are treated right away with three weeks of antibiotics have a good prognosis.

But if youre not treated for weeks, months, or even years after infection, Lyme becomes more difficult to treat. Within days of the bite, the bacteria can move to your central nervous system, muscles and joints, eyes, and heart .

Here is a list of 13 common signs and symptoms of Lyme disease.

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Chronic Lyme Disease Vs Acute And Late Stage Lyme

One reason chronic Lyme disease is harder to detect and treat than Lyme at earlier stages is that chronic Lyme disease symptoms are more wide-ranging and varied. Chronic Lyme disease can cause symptoms of early Lyme disease such as fatigue and muscle aches to recur, but it can also cause new symptoms that affect different parts of the body.

What Are The Symptoms Of Chronic Lyme Disease

Can High Blood Pressure Cause Headaches

Home » Tick Talk » What Are the Symptoms of Chronic Lyme Disease?

Despite some skepticism in the medical community, chronic Lyme disease is a growing epidemic in the U.S. This stems partly from the shortcomings of many of the officially recommended Lyme disease tests, which leave too many patients with untreated infections that then become persistent and debilitating.

The following article will cover what you should know about chronic Lyme and provide an introductory but non-exhaustive chronic Lyme disease symptoms checklist.

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What Are The Symptoms Of Renal Problems Caused By Lyme Disease

When Lyme disease causes glomerular disease in patients, the symptoms can be serious and debilitating. They include:

  • Edema in the face, hands, feet, and other parts of the body
  • Muscle and tissue loss caused by low amounts of protein in the blood
  • Kidney disease leading to tiredness, insomnia, weight loss, itchy skin
  • Blood in the urine

These signs and symptoms need to be addressed immediately as they can lead to permanent damage to kidney function, which can cause seizures, coma, or in the worst cases, death.

Other symptoms to look out for if you suspect the development of chronic kidney disease include:

  • Gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, vomiting, and appetite loss
  • Insomnia
  • Chest pain or shortness of breath from the build-up of fluids
  • Skin irritations such as pigmentation changes and unexplainable scratch marks
  • Hypertension
  • Muscle issues such as twitching and cramping
  • Cognitive decline
  • Chronic fatigue and widespread weakness

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