Lyme disease is an infectious condition caused by a spirochete (a corkscrew-shaped bacteria) called Borrelia burgdorferi, spread by ticks. Because of its nonspecific symptoms, it is difficult to diagnose and easy to confuse with other diseases, a reason why experts sometimes refer to it as "the great actor." It 'was identified in both humans and animals, especially those with fur, which usually carry ticks.
Lyme disease takes its name from the place where it was first identified - Old Lyme, Connecticut in 1977. It all started when two mothers in question has decided to trace the source of an unexplained increase in the number of cases of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and ended up finding a new disease. Since then, the condition proved to be more common than initially thought, and thousands of articles of Lyme disease have been written and published.
Considering the time of year and areas where the outbreaks occurred, specialists soon linked to the illness of a certain type of tick, which are commonly found among the deer. As the investigation progressed, they also understood that the infection was both early and late phases involving skin rashes and other dermatological symptoms, and, without proper treatment, may affect the nervous system, eyes, heart, joints (from Hence the confusion in earlier studies with arthritis), and, in severe cases, has even been linked to meningitis.
Today, the infection can be detected quite easily. If you are the target rash to classic and inform your doctor that you have been exposed to contact with ticks (both walk in the woods or through the pets, which may have led ticks inside the house) are not necessary additional evidence and any doctor will probably think of Lyme disease immediately. If you are unsure, a simple blood test is usually enough. The treatment includes two or three weeks of antibiotics. Despite what you may read articles in the Lyme disease available in bookstores and on the Internet, the disease is completely curable and does not leave long-term side effects, if the right treatment is used initially. Except for antibiotics, there are other effective solutions, so you should see a doctor at the first symptom and follow the treatment accordingly.
Lyme disease is fairly common in the U.S. these days, with hundreds of thousands of cases diagnosed each year, and the number of diagnoses is also rising in Europe (probably due to atmospheric changes that enable ticks to thrive in many areas ). Furthermore, it was registered more often among children than adults. As usual, prevention is better to treat the infection that the disease, so experts advise caution when living, walking or camping in tick-infested areas. Using insect repellent is a good idea, since the bacteria can enter the system only through tick bites, and can not spread from animals infected human to another, or from disease to humans.
