Lyme disease was discovered about four decades ago and has been studied extensively since. The disease is caused by a group of bacterial organisms known as spirochetes. There are many species that have been discovered to date. Persons suffering from the condition complain of a variety of symptoms such as painful joint swelling, skin lesions, chest pain and those related to central nervous system. In order to understand how to treat Lyme disease, one will need to have some basic knowledge on the illness itself.
The vector ticks that play a central in the transmission are parasites of deer in many geographical regions of the world. One a human is bitten by these ticks the bacteria are released into the blood stream where they begin to incubate. As a result, the disease typically has two phases; an early brief phase that is localised and a prolonged systemic late phase.
The initial presentation is in the form of flu like illness while the second is more severe and affects major body systems. Advanced forms may develop into meningitis, cerebral palsies and arthritis. Anxiety and depression have been reported in a number of affected persons. Diagnosis is made based on the clinical history as well as the presence of specific antibodies in the blood stream.
The antibodies can be detected in blood by use of a special technique known as ELISA. The main disadvantage of using this method us the fact that there may be false positive results in some cases. This may lead to treatment where there is no indication. Another major challenge experienced during diagnosis is the lack of specificity of symptoms. Consequently, misdiagnoses are fairly common.
Treatment is mainly through the use of antibiotics. There are numerous antibiotics that are very effective and the choice depends on disease severity and the area of the body that has been affected. Oral drugs have been found to be highly effective for early phase illness while intravenous drugs are useful in the advanced forms of the disease. The most important thing to remember here is that prompt treatment has better outcomes.
Doxycycline, amoxicillin and cefuroxime are some of the drugs that are used for early phase treatment. If treated promptly the early phase of the illness resolves in a week or two and usually there are no long term consequences. Doxycycline is, however, contraindicated in expectant women and children under the age of 8. The drugs that are commonly used once complications set in include ceftriaxone ad penicillin G. Unfortunately, no home remedies exist.
Other drugs that are used are mainly for supportive treatment. For instance pain relieving drugs are often necessary for the pain associated with joint swelling. These drugs also help in reducing the associated inflammation. For the severely swollen joints, drainage of joint fluid is usually useful.
Research has established that this illness has the highest incidence among children 5 to 14 years. Another peak is at 40 to 50 years among adults. The biggest risk factor to contracting this illness is living in an area with tick infested deer. Fortunately, transmission does not occur through contact or across the placenta.
The vector ticks that play a central in the transmission are parasites of deer in many geographical regions of the world. One a human is bitten by these ticks the bacteria are released into the blood stream where they begin to incubate. As a result, the disease typically has two phases; an early brief phase that is localised and a prolonged systemic late phase.
The initial presentation is in the form of flu like illness while the second is more severe and affects major body systems. Advanced forms may develop into meningitis, cerebral palsies and arthritis. Anxiety and depression have been reported in a number of affected persons. Diagnosis is made based on the clinical history as well as the presence of specific antibodies in the blood stream.
The antibodies can be detected in blood by use of a special technique known as ELISA. The main disadvantage of using this method us the fact that there may be false positive results in some cases. This may lead to treatment where there is no indication. Another major challenge experienced during diagnosis is the lack of specificity of symptoms. Consequently, misdiagnoses are fairly common.
Treatment is mainly through the use of antibiotics. There are numerous antibiotics that are very effective and the choice depends on disease severity and the area of the body that has been affected. Oral drugs have been found to be highly effective for early phase illness while intravenous drugs are useful in the advanced forms of the disease. The most important thing to remember here is that prompt treatment has better outcomes.
Doxycycline, amoxicillin and cefuroxime are some of the drugs that are used for early phase treatment. If treated promptly the early phase of the illness resolves in a week or two and usually there are no long term consequences. Doxycycline is, however, contraindicated in expectant women and children under the age of 8. The drugs that are commonly used once complications set in include ceftriaxone ad penicillin G. Unfortunately, no home remedies exist.
Other drugs that are used are mainly for supportive treatment. For instance pain relieving drugs are often necessary for the pain associated with joint swelling. These drugs also help in reducing the associated inflammation. For the severely swollen joints, drainage of joint fluid is usually useful.
Research has established that this illness has the highest incidence among children 5 to 14 years. Another peak is at 40 to 50 years among adults. The biggest risk factor to contracting this illness is living in an area with tick infested deer. Fortunately, transmission does not occur through contact or across the placenta.
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