Lyme Disease - Research Paper Example

? Lyme disease Introduction Lyme disease refers to an acute a bacterial tick-borne inflammatory infection, which was initially recognized in 1975. This was as a consequence of surveys by researches as to why juvenile rheumatoid arthritis was strangely frequent among children in Lyme, a city in New London County, Connecticut along with two adjacent towns. The survey from the researchers indicated that most of the affected children resided close to forested regions likely to harbor ticks. They also came to the realization that mostly, among these children, the first symptoms commenced during summers, which coincided with the season of ticks (Webmd.com, 2005).  Etiologic agent for Lyme disease Bacon, Kugeler and Mead (2008) explain that in the year 1981, researchers determined the fact that the etiologic agent for Lyme disease was Borrelia burgdorferi, a bacterial spirochete that is common in black-legged ticks. Such animals as white-footed field mice, horses, raccoons, foxes, deer, shrews, skunks, weasels, squirrels, moles, opossums, and chipmunks frequently transmit the ticks in question, most of which are common in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Wisconsin, Minnesota, New York, and Connecticut (Webmd.com, 2005). Incidence of Lyme disease The first Lyme disease occurrence was in a city in the United States known as Old Lyme, Connecticut, in the year 1975. Most incidences of infectivity of the disease in the US are prevalent in West Coast, particularly in the northern areas of California, Northeastern states, from Virginia to Maine, in addition to North-central states, generally in Wisconsin as well as Minnesota. Lyme disease arises in three phases: the first phase is referred to as early localized Lyme disease and the infection during this stage is not yet extensive throughout the body. The second phase is referred to as early disseminated Lyme disease. During this stage, bacteria have begun extending throughout the patient’s body parts. In the third phase, the bacteria have by now extended all over the body. This stage is referred to as late disseminated Lyme disease (Nih.gov, 2011). Risk factors for Lyme disease Some of the risk factors for this disease include keeping tick-infected animals at home, gardening, hiking, hunting, or walking in tall grasses in Lyme disease-prone regions. These may increase the chances of a person coming into contact with ticks (Nih.gov, 2011). Clinical manifestations of Lyme disease The symptoms of Lyme disease often affect the skin the nervous system, the heart, as well as joints. As it was in earlier years, extra-coetaneous symptoms are not as prevalent today (Wormser, 2006). According to Nih.gov (2011) and Webmd.com (2005), the symptoms of early localized Lyme disease, the first stage of Lyme disease, set off weeks or days subsequent to infection. The symptoms, which bear a resemblance to those of flu infection, include: body-wide itching, headache, fever, stiff neck, swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, general ill-feeling, fainting/light-headedness, and chills. A big extensive skin rash, a flat or somewhat raised red spot generally with a clear mark in the middle may as well be noticeable at the tick bite region as shown below: Source: Webmd.com (2005). It is important to note that the symptoms of Lyme disease may appear and then vanish and if one fails to seek treatment, the disease can extend to the joints, brain, and heart. During the second stage of the disease, symptoms include feebleness or paralysis of face muscles, heart problems like palpitations, pain/swelling in the knees and other large joints, and muscle pain. These symptoms can be observed weeks or even months from the time when the one experienced the initial tick bite. Muscle and joint pain, weakness of the muscles, abnormal muscle movement, speech problems, numbness and tingling are some of the most common symptoms of late disseminated Lyme disease, the third stage of the disease. These signs can become visible months or even years after the initial infectivity (Nih.gov, 2011). Diagnosis of Lyme disease Bacon and his co-authors (2008) point out the fact that doctors should diagnose this disease on the basis of the clinical manifestations/symptoms that they observe in the patient along with a record of possible contact with infected ticks. Physicians can also perform blood tests to determine if the patient’s blood carries antibodies of the bacterial spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. They also note that inadequately-validated testing methods can be deceptive and should be discouraged. It is therefore important to note that physicians cannot interpret blood tests results without information on the symptoms that the patient is exhibiting. There is a two-tiered blood testing method as proposed by the Public Health Agency of Canada (2006), which has to do with the examination of samples of the patient’s blood with one test and then proceeding with the second test only on blood samples whose results test positive for Lyme disease. The Agency cautions against interpreting results without suitable guidelines or the use of invalidated tests. Individuals who have undergone treatment with antibiotics or people with early Lyme disease may test negative during blood tests. Blood tests’ precision improves with the advancement of the infection. Treatment of Lyme disease Most physician-diagnosed Lyme disease infections are treated by taking several suggested antimicrobials/antibiotics orally, which include doxycycline, axetil, cefuroxime or amoxicillin for two to four weeks (Bacon, et al., 2008). Patients experiencing cardiac or neurological problems receive intravenous treatment with penicillin or ceftriaxone. If the diagnosis of Lyme disease took place in its later stages, a longer period of treatment with antibiotics is necessary because an individual can exhibit recurrent symptoms. Lyme disease treatment should begin the earliest possible (The Public Health Agency of Canada, 2006). Prognosis of Lyme disease As earlier noted, if physicians are able to diagnose Lyme disease early enough, they can treat it with antibiotics. Nevertheless, failure to seek medical attention, may lead to the development of problems to do with joints, the nervous system, and the heart. However, these symptoms are treatable but in exceptional situations, the patient can go on exhibiting symptoms that can hamper daily life, even after treatment with antibiotics. This condition is known as post-Lyme disease syndrome. Its cause remains unknown (Nih.gov, 2011). Prophylaxis of Lyme disease Prevention against coming into contact with vector ticks is the best method of preventing Lyme disease. People should avoid vector-infested regions and if they must go there, they should make good use of use tick repellents on exposed skin and even on clothes; and other protective clothing including long pair of trousers tucked in socks as well as long-sleeved tucked-in shirts. People should also daily examine their whole bodies as well as clothes for ticks and promptly take away the attached ticks before transmitting these micro-organisms. Adult patients along with children who are above the age of eight years may also take a dose of doxycycline following a recognizable bite by a Lyme disease-transmitting vector (Wormser, 2006).  Conclusion Evidently, the number of reported Lyme disease cases as well as the number of areas where the disease has been reported has increased. This calls to attention on the need to increase targeted strategies for prevention, a sustainable system for surveillance, and early diagnosis and treatment. There is also dire need for constant education regarding early detection and treatment of the disease. Moreover, healthcare practitioners should fully understand the clinical manifestations this disease along with recommended practices for diagnosing and treating it. In case an individual experiences of tick bites, doctors should closely observe him or her for symptoms and signs of this disease for a month. They should particularly monitor him/her for any lesion on the skin at the area with the tick bite. If the doctor observes these signs in a patient in one month subsequent to a tick bite, he/she should assess the possibility of the individual developing Lyme disease or other tick-borne infections.  References Bacon, R. M., Kugeler,K. J., and Mead, P. S. (2008). Surveillance for Lyme disease – United States, 1992-2006. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5710a1.htm Nih.gov. (2011). Lyme disease: Borreliosis; Bannwarth syndrome. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002296/ The Public Health Agency of Canada. (2006). Lyme Disease Fact Sheet. Retrieved from http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/id-mi/lyme-fs-eng.php Webmd.com. (2005). Arthritis and Lyme disease. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/arthritis-lyme-disease Wormser, G. P. (2006). The clinical assessment, treatment and prevention of lyme disease, human granulocytic anaplasmosis and babesiosis: clinical practice guidelines by the infectious diseases society of America. Oxford Journals, 43(9), 1089-1134. Read More