Am I at Risk for Lyme Disease? How to Get Rid of Ticks
Are you removing ticks properly? Everything you need to know about ticks and how to fight Lyme disease.
Frequently Asked Questions, USA TODAY
Until the COVID-19 pandemic, many people suffering from chronic post-infectious illnesses were not taken seriously by medical professionals. Classic symptoms of long COVID-19, such as brain fog, dizziness, and fatigue, are consistent with dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system, which is also seen in other infectious diseases, one of which is Lyme disease. The sheer number of people affected by long COVID-19 has captured the attention of doctors and researchers, some of whom have been treating and studying these conditions for years.
Lyme disease, in both its acute and “chronic” forms, is a nuanced issue. We spoke to experts to help you make sense of it all.
What are the symptoms of Lyme disease?
Dr. John AucottDuring the acute phase, some patients may develop a round red rash (erythema migrans or “bull’s-eye rash”) at the site of the tick bite, as well as other signs of infection such as fever, chills, malaise, and fatigue, says Dr. John Hopkins, director of the Lyme Disease Clinical Research Center at Johns Hopkins University. “The rash is the hallmark symptom, but other symptoms don’t distinguish Lyme disease from other infections,” he explains.
It’s tick season. How is Lyme disease transmitted? Here’s what you need to know.
What happens if Lyme disease isn’t treated?
If you don’t treat your Lyme disease, the infection can remain in your body. “If you’ve never treated your Lyme disease, about half of the people who have Lyme arthritis, the classic form of long-term Lyme disease, still have the infection. And that’s actually how it was discovered. It started with an outbreak of shoulder arthritis in a town called Lyme, Connecticut.”
If Lyme disease is not treated,Lyme carditisThis is a condition in which bacteria infect any part of the heart and can lead to serious complications.
In addition, neurological complications from untreated Lyme disease infection include: Aseptic meningitis(inflammation of the meninges that protect the brain and spinal cord) and other symptoms Neuropathy Numbness, pain, weakness, facial paralysis/drooping (paralysis of the facial muscles), etc.
Can Lyme disease be cured? Here’s what you need to know about tick bite symptoms.
What are the symptoms of chronic Lyme disease?
Post-treated Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) or “chronic” Lyme disease looks different from untreated Lyme disease. Dr. Britt Adlera rheumatologist and researcher at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore. Recently published review articles Regarding the chronic symptoms associated with Lyme disease, one doctor said, “While most patients recover after infection, some (about 10-20 percent) experience long-term symptoms such as fatigue, body aches and difficulty thinking that can be debilitating and life-altering.”
Adler says these symptoms may be due to problems with the autonomic nervous system: “Some patients with long-term symptoms have a malfunction of their autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system is the part of the nervous system that controls heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, sweating, body temperature and pupil size. Most people don’t consciously think about these important functions, but when this part of the nervous system isn’t working properly, a variety of symptoms can appear, including lightheadedness, weakness, brain fog and gastrointestinal symptoms.”
Why has it taken the pandemic to bring attention to this debilitating condition? The answer is complicated.
One of the main reasons is that testing for Lyme disease is imperfect. The most commonly used tests are antibody tests, which measure a person’s immune system’s response to infection. “The problem is that these antibodies take several weeks to appear. They don’t appear overnight, and they don’t work well in the first few weeks after infection because it takes three to four weeks for an antibody response to form,” says Aucott. That means diagnosis is often made based on symptoms, which can be difficult and uncomfortable.
Adler adds that physician education also plays a role: “Doctors don’t know much about dysautonomia (they haven’t been trained in it), so it’s much easier for them to attribute a long list of symptoms to anxiety or a psychiatric disorder than to an illness we’ve never experienced,” she explains.
Lyme disease is transmitted by tick bites. The best way to prevent Lyme disease is to protect yourself from ticks and other insects by wearing long sleeves and long pants, using insect repellent, checking your skin regularly, and showering after going outside.