What Can I Expect Long Term If My Child Has Lyme Disease
If Lyme disease is caught and treated early, most children will make a full recovery. Some children with Lyme disease go on to experience whats called a post-infectious syndrome with symptoms that may include feeling fatigue, joint aches and pains, headaches, difficulty sleeping, and problems concentrating. Since the infection itself is gone by this time, doctors generally dont prescribe antibiotics. Each child is different, but its not uncommon for symptoms of post-infectious syndrome to linger for months, or even years, and they can be made worse by stress or other illness. But most children do make a full recovery.
Blacklegged, or deer, ticks are very small, so it helps to know what to look for when doing a tick check. Adults are about the size of sesame seeds and in the nymph or larva stage, they can be as tiny as a poppy seeds.
Diagnosis And Treatment For Lyme Disease Tick Bite Symptoms
As seen above the disease can take any course, so it is best to seek the guidance of a healthcare expert. You must provide him/her with exact details regarding how you might have been infected. You might also need to give your blood sample for lab analysis. The area where you live and the tick bite bullseye rash will be the greatest clues that can help your doctor determine exact diagnosis and course of action to take. There are a couple of FDA approved tests that can diagnose the condition accurately. People living in high risk areas can also talk to their healthcare provider regarding Lyme disease vaccinations.Though these arent fool proof, they can certainly prevent 80% of Tick bite Lyme disease bullseye rash and related symptoms.
When Should You See A Doctor If You Think You Have Lyme
The rash is a pretty good indication that you may have been bitten. Take a photo of the rash and see your doctor. At this stage, treatment with antibiotics will probably work.
If you dont have the rash but have symptoms like fatigue, fever, and headache but no respiratory symptoms like a cough, you may want to talk to your doctor.
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History Of Lyme Disease
Interestingly, the disease only became apparent in 1975, when the mothers of a group of children who lived near each other in Lyme, Conn., told researchers that their children had all been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.
Deer ticks in the United States are known as Ixodes scapularis, which carry the bacterium in their stomachs and can transmit the bacterium to humans with a tick bite. The number of cases of the disease is mainly dependent on the number of ticks present and how often the ticks are infected with the bacteria. Some areas in the U.S. are largely affected by Lyme disease.
The disease has been reported most often in the northeastern U.S., but it has been seen in all fifty states, as well as China, Europe, Japan, Australia, and parts of the former Soviet Union. In the U.S., it is primarily contracted in the northeast from Maine to Maryland, in the Midwest in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and in the west in Oregon and northern California.
Can You Have Lyme Disease And Not Know It
Ask the Lyme Doc series explores some of the most commonly asked questions about Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. Individuals can have Lyme disease and not know it for years, mistakenly attributing their symptoms to other illnesses or being misdiagnosed. This edition explores the question: How long can you have Lyme disease without knowing it?
There are several published papers that address the question: Can you have Lyme disease and not know it? Logigian and colleagues described chronic neurologic Lyme disease patients who were ill for up to 14 years prior to being diagnosed. Their symptoms included fatigue, poor memory, a sleep disturbance, headaches, lightheadedness, and joint pain.1
Fallon and colleagues described Lyme disease patients who had been misdiagnosed on average for 2 years with a psychiatric disorder. They were initially presumed to suffer from paranoia, dementia, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, panic attacks, major depression, anorexia nervosa, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.2
Another study by Fallon found that Lyme disease patients with Lyme encephalopathy were ill an average of 2 years before being diagnosed.3
Cases with persistent Lyme disease symptoms
How long can you have Lyme disease and know it?
Klempner described individuals who were ill an average of 4.7 years before they enrolled in a Lyme disease clinical trial, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health .5
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Signs Of Lyme Disease That Appear On Your Skin
Signs of Lyme disease
If you see a rash or another sign of Lyme disease on your skin, see your primary doctor right away. When caught early and treated, Lyme disease can be cured with antibiotics and most people recover fully.
Lyme disease is caused by a bite from a black-legged tick. If you are bitten by this tick and develop Lyme disease, you may see a bulls-eye rash. Its a common sign of Lyme disease, but its not the only sign.
Lyme disease occurs in stages. Heres what you may see on your skin during each stage.
Essential Steps When Checking For Lyme Disease
Not all people with Lyme disease develop the bulls eye rash. But if you do get it, measure the red patch around the bite to see if its expanding:
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What Are Risk Factors For Developing Lyme Disease
Lyme disease occurs most frequently in children 5-14 years of age and adults 40-50 years of age. The most substantial risk factor for Lyme disease is
- exposure to the ticks located in the high-risk areas of the country listed above,
- particularly in the New England states,
- as well as Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Additional risk factors include recreational and occupational exposure to ticks and outdoor activities, including
- gardening, in woods, and
- fields in the high-risk areas.
No transplacental transmission of Lyme disease from the mother to the unborn child has ever been described. Again, Lyme disease is not contagious from one person to another.
Symptoms Of Early Disseminated Lyme Disease
The onset of early disseminated Lyme disease can begin days, weeks, or months after a person is bitten by an infected tick. The symptoms reflect the fact that the infection has begun to spread from the site of the tick bite to other parts of the body.
At this stage, the infection causes specific symptoms that may be intermittent. They are:
- multiple erythema migrans lesions, which are circular or oval rashes that occur near the bite site and can be solid or resemble a bulls-eye
- Bells palsy, which is paralysis or weakness of muscles on one or both sides of the face
- meningitis, which is inflammation of the protective membranes around the brain and spinal cord
- neck stiffness, severe headaches, or fever
- severe muscle pain or numbness in the arms or legs
- pain or swelling in the knees, shoulders, elbows, and other large joints
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Stage 2 And 3 Lyme Rashes
During stages 2 and 3 of Lyme disease, rashes may also be present. During stage 2, the rash will take roughly one to six months to appear. It will be markedly different from stage 1 and appear as small oval-shaped rashes, typically appearing on various parts of the body such as the face, legs, and arms. The center of a stage 2 Lyme disease rash may also be darker in the center or appear bluish with a clear center. In contrast with stage 1 rashes, stage 2 skin lesions are not likely to grow as the disease progresses.
Stage 3 Lyme disease does not often encompass rashes however, if skin changes do occur, they will typically appear on the hands and feet. Symptoms of skin changes in stage 3 Lyme disease can include pain, redness, and swelling. If the infection is severe, stage 3 will present with some skin symptoms such as:
- Hardening, thinning, or tearing of the skin
- Hair loss around the affected area
- Sweat gland loss
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Symptoms: As The Infection Spreads
If the disease goes untreated in its early stages, over several weeks or months it can spread to other areas of the body like your:
You could also have more rashes and periods of pain and weakness in your arms or legs. Other symptoms include:
- Facial muscle paralysis
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When Should I See My Healthcare Provider
If you feel sick after having spent time in areas where ticks might live, you should make an appointment with your healthcare provider.
If you received a Lyme disease diagnosis and you dont feel well after taking all of your antibiotics, contact your provider. This is especially true if you have symptoms like a stiff neck or mental confusion.
How Is Lyme Disease Diagnosed And Treated
Lyme disease is diagnosed when someone experiences some of the common signs, including:
-
Flu-like symptoms, including chills, fever, or muscle pain
Most of the time, these symptoms occur a few days or weeks after a person was bitten by an infected tick. At Kotsanis Institute, we use the Western blot test to look for the presence of Lyme disease antibodies. However, this can take several weeks to detect.
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Does Bullseye Always Mean Lyme Disease
But this report reminds us of the important fact that a bullseye doesnt always mean Lyme. Ticks carry other bacteria and some of them are not as dangerous. However, its better to be safe than sorry and get some treatment going. The rash absolutely does mean that you have a tick-borne illness, but it may not always mean Lyme.
Living With Lyme Disease
Most people treated in the early stages of Lyme disease make a quick and complete recovery. Some may experience symptoms for a few weeks after treatment. If you were treated for Lyme disease but you still dont feel well, call your family doctor. He or she can make sure there isnt something else wrong. They can help you find ways to ease your symptoms. Some patients have found relief with treatments typically used for chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia.
Other things you can do to help manage Lyme disease include:
- Educate yourself.There is a lot of inaccurate information to be sorted through, especially on the internet. Ask your doctor if you have questions.
- Track your symptoms.Keep a diary of your sleep patterns, eating habits, exercise routines, and how youre feeling. You or your doctor may be able to make connections between them.
- Take care of yourself.Eat a healthy diet. Exercise as regularly as you can. Get plenty of rest.
Find support. It can be hard to not feel well and not know why. Some people may think your symptoms arent real. Talk to friends and family. If they cant offer support, talk with a counselor who can help you.
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Tick Bite Lyme Disease Bullseye Rash: How Long Does It Last
Ticks are disgusting eight legged parasites that attach themselves to their hosts skin and feed on its blood. Naturally, we are all aware of how ticks, especially the deer ticks can also cause Lymes disease, and hence there is all the more reason to fear these parasites as well. Lymes disease causes a bullseye rash that looks similar to a red target mark.
In this guide, we will study tick bite Lyme disease bullseye rash and its other symptoms in detail.
Cdc Lyme Disease Rash
Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States. Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and rarely, Borrelia mayonii. It is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans. If left untreated, infection can spread.
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Clinicians Asked What Does A Lyme Disease Rash Look Like
Nearly 3 out of 4 investigators were able to identify the Lyme disease rash when presented with 8 types of rash photos.
When asked on a Yes or No basis whether a rash was due to Lyme disease or another condition, the investigators did much better with 94.23% correctly recognizing the EM rash.
The authors were not able to evaluate the ability of doctors in recognizing a Lyme disease rash among other patient populations. Our dataset did not include a significant number of individuals with dark skin.
The study did not look at whether the clinical history might improve the accuracy of the diagnosis. Additionally, the probability of recognizing a Lyme disease rash might improve if the patient has a history of recent exposure to ticks, a tick bite, or symptoms.
The accuracy in identifying what a Lyme disease rash looks like might drop if the patients did not live in an endemic area or if the patient had a confirmation bias. Confirmation bias involves selective gathering of and neglect of contradictory evidence, writes Satya-Murti and colleagues.²
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Do All Ticks Transmit Lyme Disease
No. In the northeastern and north-central U.S., the black-legged tick carries Lyme disease. In the Pacific coastal U.S., the western black-legged tick spreads the disease.
Other major tick species in the U.S., like the lone star tick and the dog tick, do NOT transmit the Lyme disease bacterium. But beware: All 50 states have reported Lyme disease, as well as Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America.
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Does Lyme Disease Always Form A Rash
According to the CDC, a rash will form in 70% to 80% of Lyme cases within 30 days of being bit. In % of cases, a rash will form near the site of the tick bite within 30 days. The rash usually doesnt itch and will gradually expand. Its possible that the rash occurs in more cases but simply wasnt noticed. Likewise, it can be very hard for black people and dark-skinned people to notice a Lyme disease rash on their skin.
Its important to realize that Lyme disease rashes dont always look like a bulls eye. If youve been bit by a tick and any sort of rash forms in the days or weeks afterwards, see a doctor!
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Stage : Quickly Expanding Rash
After being bitten by a black-legged tick, a quickly growing rash can appear. This is the earliest stage of Lyme disease, known as stage 1.
Most people who develop a rash, get it within days or weeks of being bitten by a tick.
Where you see the rash: If you develop a rash, it appears near the tick bit you. For most people, that means the back, groin, armpit, or a lower leg. However, a tick can bite you anywhere.
What the rash can look like: You may see a spot or bump on the skin, which is the bite mark. Around or near the bite mark, a rash develops. Some people see the bulls-eye rash . You can also have one of the other rashes shown here.
Early rash caused by Lyme disease
Notice the bite mark in the center of this early rash, which will expand quickly.
Bulls-eye rash on womans upper arm
This is another early sign of Lyme disease.
Lyme disease rash with lighter color on the outside
This rash has expanded, but you can still see the bite mark in the center.
Rash from Lyme disease has begun to clear
As the rash begins to clear, the redness fades.
If you develop a rash during this stage, you may notice that it:
-
Feels smooth and warm to the touch
-
Causes a burning sensation
-
Itches or feels painful
-
Has an outer edge that feels scaly or crusty
When the rash and symptoms begin: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , the rash begins 3 to 30 days after the tick bites you.
About 50% of people who have Lyme disease develop flu-like symptoms , which include:
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When Does Lyme Rash Appear
There are three distinct stages of Lyme disease, all of which present with various symptoms and signs. During stage 1 of the disease, the bacteria has been most recently contracted and the initial symptoms begin to appear. The typical Lyme disease rash usually appears in stage 1, between a few days or weeks of the initial infection.
There are several different types of Lyme disease rashes that can appear during stage 1 of the infection. The first, a bulls-eye rash, appears circular around the tick bite. It has a central clear ring that expands as well. Other types of rash that could appear include a red lesion that expands and has a crusty center a red and circular-shaped rash that has a clear center and a red lesion that is oval-shaped.
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The early stages of the rash are typically easiest to see, and people may also notice that there is a small spot or lump that pops up in the center. The rash may also be associated with certain other characteristics, such as being warm to the touch or smooth on the skin. Scaly and crusty edges may also develop. In some rare cases, the Lyme disease rash could also be painful, itchy, and feel as though it is burning. Typically, Lyme rashes are small, but they can gradually grow to up to 12 or more inches.
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