Signs And Symptoms Of Lyme Disease In Adults

Tryptophan For Mood Support

Tryptophan is an amino acid, and like most amino acids, its a building block for proteins. But tryptophan is also used to make the mood-regulating neurotransmitter serotonin. Tryptophan metabolism appears to be altered in Lyme disease, as in other infections , and it has been suggested that tryptophan supplements could be helpful in supporting serotonin production and mood in people with Lyme disease. Taking tryptophan supplements and supplements of other building blocks for neurotransmitters, such as tyrosine and choline, has been proposed for many conditions where the brain is not working optimally. It isnt easy to eat enough supplementary amino acids to affect brain neurotransmitters significantly because neurons tightly regulate the amount of neurotransmitters they make. But there is some evidence that the activated form of tryptophan, 5-HTP, may help support mood regulation . There is not yet evidence of efficacy in treating Lyme disease.

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How Is Lyme Disease Treated

With early-stage Lyme disease, youâll take antibiotics for about 10 days to 3 weeks. The most common ones are amoxicillin, cefuroxime, and doxycycline. The antibiotics will almost always cure your infection. If they donât, you might get other antibiotics either by mouth or as a shot.

If you donât treat your Lyme infection, you might need oral antibiotics for symptoms like weakened face muscles and irregular heartbeat. You may need antibiotics if you have meningitis, inflammation in your brain and spinal cord, or more severe heart problems.

If your Lyme is late stage, the doctor might give you antibiotics either by mouth or as a shot. If it causes arthritis, youâll get arthritis treatment.

Thereâs no therapy for post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome.

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.

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Duration Of Lyme Disease

Lyme disease can last a month or two or as long as months or years, depending on whether or not it is promptly or effectively treated.

When treated with antibiotics, most people recover from Lyme disease within a few weeks. If it isnt treated right way because symptoms werent present or it was misdiagnosed, the infection can affect different parts of the body and last one to four months.

Late persistent Lyme disease may develop without proper treatment. This phase can cause arthritis, fatigue, and numbness. Although it is rare, heart problems such as inflammation around the heart can occur months or years after the tick bite, notes Michigan Medicine.

Early Symptoms Of Lyme Disease

Symptoms of Lyme disease in humans can be vague, and chances are you have no idea youve been bitten by an infected tick until symptoms surface.

Ticks secrete an anesthetic that makes their bites painless, explains Christine Green, MD, a family physician in Mountain View, California, and a member of the Bay Area Lyme Foundations scientific advisory board. Plus, theyre tiny. A young, immature tick, called a nymphthe stage of development during which these bloodsuckers are most likely to transmit Lyme diseaseis roughly the size of a pinhead when it latches on, so you dont know its there, she tells Health.

According to the CDC, the incubation period for Lymein other words, the time between a persons exposure to Borrelia bacteria and symptom onsetranges from three to 30 days. The main symptoms of Lyme disease in the early days and weeks after infection can include:

• Fever

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When To See A Healthcare Provider

Since Lyme disease can take different forms, and since its often confused with other conditions, its important to be proactive if you suspect the condition. What signs prompt medical help? Call the healthcare provider if:

• You have a bullseye rashor any kind of rashfollowing a tick bite.
• You experience flu-like symptoms after a tick bite.
• You experience symptoms of more advanced Lyme disease: arthritis, heart palpitations, facial paralysis, dizziness, and others.

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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Racial Differences In Incidence

Lyme disease is reported primarily in whites, although it occurs in individuals of all races. No genetic explanation is known for this the disparity most likely stems from social or environmental factors and possibly to the fact that erythema migrans is more difficult to diagnose in dark-skinned individuals.

Treatments Your Physician May Prescribe

Lyme disease can be treated and cured with one of several oral antibiotics for 34 weeks. The skin rash will go away within a few days of beginning treatment, but other symptoms may persist for up to a few weeks. In severe cases of Lyme disease where the nervous system is involved, the antibiotic may need to be given intravenously. In late stage Lyme disease, symptoms may not go away completely, but should improve.

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Chronic Lyme Disease Symptoms

If Lyme disease is not diagnosed and treated early, it may become late-stage or chronic. This may also occur when early treatment is inadequate. While some symptoms of chronic or late stage Lyme disease are similar to those of early Lyme, as the graphic below shows, there are important differences.

Lyme disease may spread to any part of the body and affect any body system. Typically, it affects more than one body system. In our survey, which drew over 5,000 responses, patients with chronic Lyme disease reported an average of three severe or very severe symptoms, with 74% reporting at least one symptom as severe or very severe.

An extensive list of symptoms of chronic Lyme disease was developed by Dr. Joseph Burrascano, a pioneer in treating chronic Lyme disease.

Is Lyme Disease Genetic

Lyme disease is a state that is produced by a precise bacterium that is referred to as Borrelia Burgdorferi. Humans can acquire this disease if they receive a nip from a tick that is considered to be black legged. This particular illness was discovered in the year of 1975. For nearly four decades, medical professionals and scientists alike have studied Lyme disease in order to find out solid information that could be relayed to the general public.

This medical state can be treated in a successful manner if treated in a timely fashion, but left untreated it can cause many health problems. It has been discovered that the infection established by this specific disease can extend to the organs of the body, the joints of the body, and even the nervous system. In this general guide, you will learn the basics surrounding Lyme disease.

Numerous individuals that suffer from Lyme disease will find that they develop a fever. The fever may be mild but it may be severe depending on the severity of the infection in the body. The fever may or may not be accompanied by body chills and/or hot flashes. Lots of people often complain of pain throughout the body in the area of the joints as well as the muscles.

Headaches of varying degrees of acuteness are frequently experienced by patients that contract Lyme disease. As the infection progresses, it is not uncommon for sufferers to detect that numerous lymph nodes are swollen in the body.

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Doctor’s Notes On Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is a bacterial illness transmitted to humans from the bite of deer ticks carrying the Borrelia burgdorferi bacterium. Lyme disease is most commonly found in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, North Central, and Pacific coastal regions of the U.S. and in Europe.

Early symptoms of Lyme disease develop within three to 30 days after a tick bite and include fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint aches, swollen lymph nodes, and feeling unwell . A rash that is warm to the touch but is not painful or itchy may also occur. In some people, the rash can appear as a target with multiple rings called a bull’s-eyelesion. Symptoms in children are similar, though younger children are more likely to have skin lesions on the head or neck and older children on the extremities. Days to months later, additional serious symptoms of Lyme disease may occur and can include facial palsy , meningitis, nerve inflammation, shooting pains that may interfere with sleep and cause insomnia, muscle weakness, brain swelling , intermittent episodes of arthritis, pain in the tendons/muscles/bones, shortness of breath, heart palpitations or an irregular heartbeat, dizziness or passing out, inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, and short-term memory problems.

Lyme Websites Books And Organizations

Private and governmental organizations provide help for people with Lyme disease and PTLDS, their caregivers, and medical professionals, including referrals to support groups and doctors, summaries of the latest research, and practical tips for Lyme prevention.

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Who Is At Risk For Lyme Disease

Anyone can get a tick bite. But people who spend lots of time outdoors in wooded, grassy areas are at a higher risk. This includes campers, hikers, and people who work in gardens and parks.

Most tick bites happen in the summer months when ticks are most active and people spend more time outdoors. But you can get bitten in the warmer months of early fall, or even late winter if temperatures are unusually high. And if there is a mild winter, ticks may come out earlier than usual.

When To See Your Doctor

If youve been bitten by a tick and have symptoms

Only a minority of tick bites leads to Lyme disease. The longer the tick remains attached to your skin, the greater your risk of getting the disease. Lyme infection is unlikely if the tick is attached for less than 36 to 48 hours.

If you think youve been bitten and have signs and symptoms of Lyme disease particularly if you live in an area where Lyme disease is prevalent contact your doctor. Treatment for Lyme disease is more effective if begun early.

See your doctor even if symptoms disappear

Consult your doctor even if signs and symptoms disappear the absence of symptoms doesnt mean the disease is gone. Untreated, Lyme disease can spread to other parts of your body for several months to years after infection, causing arthritis and nervous system problems. Ticks can also transmit other illnesses, such as babesiosis and Colorado tick fever.

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How Is Lyme Disease Diagnosed

Your doctor will diagnose you based on your symptoms and whether youâve been exposed to a tick. They might also run a blood test. In the first few weeks of infection, the test may be negative because antibodies take a few weeks to show up.

Hopefully soon, there will be tests that can diagnose Lyme disease in the first few weeks after youâre exposed. The earlier you get treated, the less likely itâll get worse.

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.

Bull’s-eye rash on woman’s 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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Minnesota Department Of Health: About Lyme Disease

The Minnesota Department of Healths mission is about protecting, maintaining and improving the health of all Minnesotans.

Lyme disease is a potentially serious bacterial infection caused by the bite of an infected blacklegged tick . The disease affects both humans and animals. The Minnesota Department of Health is monitoring the spread of the disease across the state and working with residents to limit exposure to the ticks causing the disease.

On the linked page you will find information regarding Lyme Disease Transmission, Prevention, Signs and symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, Treatment following a tick bite, and History.

What Are The First Signs And Symptoms Of Lyme Disease

In the first early localized stage of Lyme disease the skin at the site of the tick bite becomes infected with Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria which can cause an expanding round or oval red skin lesion called erythema migrans. This may or may not be associated with flu-like symptoms within days to a month after the tick bite such as achiness, chills, fever, sweats, fatigue, malaise, headache, stiff neck, muscle soreness, joint pain, swollen lymph nodes, and sore throat. The combination of the skin lesion and flu-like symptoms are the primary manifestations of acute stage Lyme disease. Acute Lyme disease is not associated with typical cold-like symptoms of runny nose, prominent cough, or prominent diarrhea.

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What Are The Symptoms Of Lyme Disease

The first sign is usually a bull’s-eye rash. You might also have flu-like feelings of fatigue, headache, fever, sore throat, chills, or body aches.

If the infection hasn’t been eradicated with antibiotics, you may experience joint pain. Some people also get other symptoms, including stiff neck, sensitivity to light, memory loss, mood changes, rashes that keep coming back, and even paralysis of one or both sides of the face, heart rhythm problems, and areas of tingling or numbness.

Key Points To Remember

• Most Lyme disease tests are designed to detect antibodies made by the body in response to infection.
• Antibodies can take several weeks to develop, so patients may test negative if infected only recently.
• Antibodies normally persist in the blood for months or even years after the infection is gone therefore, the test cannot be used to determine cure.
• Infection with other diseases, including some tickborne diseases, or some viral, bacterial, or autoimmune diseases, can result in false positive test results.
• Some tests give results for two types of antibody, IgM and IgG. Positive IgM results should be disregarded if the patient has been ill for more than 30 days.

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What Are The Early Symptoms Of Lyme Disease

Considering how common Lyme disease is, it is surprising that more people are not aware of its early symptoms.

Lyme disease is a common vector-borne disease it is transmitted through fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported each year.

Although it is not as rampant as the common cold or the flu, Lyme disease is still problematic. Symptoms of Lyme disease include loss of energy and tiredness. However, if treatment is withheld for longer, the symptoms often lead to further serious health issues that take time to resolve.

Here are some symptoms you should be aware of.