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Lyme
Disease Awareness Month
Excerpt
By
Dennis Thompson Jr.,
HealthScoutNews
It's been more than 30 years since scientists first identified
the tick-borne illness now known as Lyme disease.
While much has been learned about
this rarely fatal condition that can cause chronic physical pain
and mental distress, questions remain.
And because May is Lyme Disease
Awareness Month, doctors and medical activists are spreading the
word about the disease and how people can avoid it.
Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium
Borrelia burgdorferi, according to the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These bacteria are transmitted
to humans through the bite of infected deer ticks and cause more
than 16,000 infections in the United States each year.
Lyme disease was discovered in
1977 when arthritis was observed in children in and around Lyme,
Conn.
People with Lyme generally have
a rash in the shape of a bulls-eye at the site of infection, and
they also can suffer from such symptoms as fever, malaise, fatigue,
headache, muscle aches and joint aches, the CDC says. The incubation
period from infection to the onset of the rash is typically seven
to 14 days but may be as short as three days and as long as 30
days.
If left untreated, more dire symptoms
can arise: arthritis, including intermittent episodes of swelling
and pain in the large joints; neurologic abnormalities, such as
aseptic meningitis, facial palsy, motor and sensory nerve inflammation
and inflammation of the brain; and, rarely, cardiac problems,
such as an enlarged heart or acute inflammation of the tissues
surrounding the heart, federal health officials say.
Some doctors believe the disease
also can affect people's rational mind.
"If people have neurologic
Lyme, it directly affects their emotions and moods," says
Dr. Lesley Ann Fein,a New Jersey doctor who specializes in the
disease.
Because there are so many symptoms,
and because only 60 percent to 80 percent of sufferers develop
the telltale "bulls-eye" rash, Fein believes many people
are infected with Lyme but remain undiagnosed. She says efforts
are under way to establish a national committee that would set
up clearer guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
Antibiotics provide the only effective
treatment for Lyme disease, says Fein and Tom Forschner, executive
director of the non-profit Lyme Disease Foundation. Other drugs
can be used to treat related symptoms, but antibiotics kill off
the bacterium that causes Lyme.
However, there's disagreement among
doctors regarding how long antibiotic treatment should last.
"There is no definitive test
to tell us the bacteria is gone, so there's no end point for treatment
everyone can agree on," Forschner explains. Some doctors
believe antibiotic treatment should last two to four weeks, while
others will extend it for several months, he says.
Early stage Lyme disease is typically
treated with the antibiotics doxycycline or amoxicillin for three
to four weeks. Later-stage Lyme, particularly with "neurologic
manifestations," may require intravenous treatment with ceftriaxone
or penicillin for four weeks or more, depending on the severity
of the symptoms, the CDC says.
Lyme disease is mostly found in
northeastern and mid-Atlantic states; states in the upper north-central
region of the country; and several counties in northwestern California.
Ninety-two percent of cases reported to the CDC in 1999 -- the
most recent numbers available -- came from Connecticut, Delaware,
Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island and Wisconsin.
Forschner says that since Lyme
disease can be spread by ticks that cling to birds, migration
patterns provide a clue to what areas are at risk. "Basically
the ticks go the same place birds go during migration," Forschner
says.
The best way to avoid Lyme disease
is to avoid areas likely to be infested with ticks, particularly
in spring and summer. Ticks favor a moist, shaded environment,
especially wooded, brushy or overgrown grassy habitats.
If you're going to be in an area
that's likely infested with ticks, wear light-colored clothing
so ticks can be spotted more easily and removed before becoming
attached. Wear long-sleeved shirts and tuck your pants into socks
or boot tops to keep ticks from reaching your skin.
When you come in from outside,
perform a tick check on yourself. Run your hands through your
hair, and thoroughly inspect your body. Since transmission of
the disease is not immediate, removing an attached tick as soon
as possible will more than likely keep you from contracting Lyme.
"If you find an attached tick
that's engorged, call your doctor so you can get treated,"
Forschner says. "If it's had a chance to feed, it's had a
chance to infect."
Attached ticks should be removed
using fine-tipped tweezers. Grasp the tick firmly at its mouthparts,
as close to your skin as possible. With a steady motion, pull
the tick's body away from the skin. If the tick's mouthparts remain
in the skin, don't be alarmed. The bacterium that causes Lyme
is contained in the tick's midgut or salivary glands. Then cleanse
the area with an antiseptic, health experts advise.
More information
To learn more about Lyme disease,
visit the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention or the National
Institutes of Health.
Reference
Source 101
For
more information on how to prevent other diseases, use
PreventDisease.com's "Quick
Prevention Resources".
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