If a walk through a forest or a meadow with tiny hitchhikers who hid their skin have left their skin, be careful. It is not just the bite that are worrying. These ticks bear the silent threat from Lyme Borreliosis, an infection that spreads with little warning.
Yesterday singer Justin Timberlake revealed that he was suffering from Lyme Borreliosis and, after his forgetting by Tomorrow World Tour, explained that “life with this” mentally and physically substantial weakening “. And he is not the only celebrity with the disease: Justin Bieber, Ben Stiller, Avril Lavigne and Miranda Hart were open to their own Diagnoses.
Studies in Europe estimate that 1 to 5 percent of tick bites can lead to this state and an average of about 4 percent of ticks in England and Wales are infected (up to 8-10 percent in some areas).
The bite, which often remains unnoticed, can be released a list of symptoms, including chronic tiredness, which may be lingering for years.
And the ticks are not limited to the Scottish borders or the wilderness of Exmoor.
“A tick does not know whether it is in South London or in the Scottish highlands. Although we know that it is densely populated in areas of forestry, this does not mean that they cannot pick them up in their garden or in the local parks,” says Georgia Tuckey, an independent prescriber and nurse consultant who is on tick-born diseases at the Tick-Borne-Borne criminal disease diseases.
Animals also raise tick numbers. Equipment birds as well as deer and rodents are all important hosts. And now even pheasants that are published for the game hunt are spreading the disease.
But there is also hope on the horizon, since new, more targeted remedies are tested that are more effective than the current treatments. Read on to get the latest advice.
How do you know if you have it and what can be done to treat it?
What exactly is Lyme Borreliosis?
“Lyme Borreliosis is a bacterial infection caused by which is caused Borrelia Burgdorferi Bacteria and transmits to humans through the bite of infected ticks, ”says James Logan, scientist and professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
If you are not treated, Lyme Borreliosis can lead to more severe symptoms such as joint pain, facial paralysis and neurological or heart problems.
Symptoms
“It often begins with flu-like symptoms and a characteristic red,” Bullseye “excretion called Erythema migrant,” says Prof. Logan, “although not everyone develops the decisive factor.”
Tapping bites typically appear as a small red dot that is slightly raised and the skin in the area of bump looks in a reddish look, says Dr. Ross Perry, the medical director of Cosmedics Skinics.
An example of a Bullseye rash typical of a tick bite – Alamy
The Bullseye rash can appear up to three months after an infected tick and take several weeks.
The rash can have a darker or lighter area in the middle and can gradually spread. It is usually not hot or itchy.
“You can bite her anywhere on your body, but you prefer warm, moist areas such as armpits, groin area, back of your knees and around her waist,” explains Niamh McMillan, superintendent of Super Drug Pharmacy. “In the first weeks after the tick bite, keep an eye on the symptoms.”
The stadiums of Lyme Borreliosis
Early symptoms
Early symptoms of Lyme Borreliosis usually occur within three to 30 days after a tick bite. This stage of illness has a limited series of symptoms.
As well as (or instead of) a rash, people with early Lyme Borreliosis can experience one of the following:
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Flu-like symptoms such as fever and sweat, chills, fatigue, neck pain or stiffness, headache, joint or muscle pain
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Paralysis of the facial muscles, typically only on one side of the face (Bell’s paralysis)
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Nerve pain that shoots, sharp or spiky and can follow the nerve
Later symptoms
Serious symptoms can occur several weeks, months or even years later if the Lyme disease remains untreated or is not treated early. These can include:
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Pain and swelling in the joints (inflammatory arthritis)
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problem
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Inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord (meningitis), which can cause strong headache, a stiff neck and increased sensitivity to light
Sometimes very later symptoms can include:
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Eye problems, including redness, pain or changed perspective
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Spots of abnormal skin, which are known as acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans
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Heart problems – such as inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis) or the outer lining of the heart (pericarditis), irregular heartbeat (heart block) and heart failure
diagnosis
If you suspect that you have Lyme Borreliosis, ask your doctor for a blood test to support the diagnosis of the disease.
Tuckey says: “If an patient has an erythema migratory deflection, they would go to their family doctor and try to get a diagnosis. A part of the difficulties with the diagnosis is if a patient has immediately tested with this rash, the body has not generated any antibodies to identify the infection and instead achieved a negative result.
“You are told that you do not have any Lyme Borreliosis, even though you are decisive that only diagnoses lyme diagnostically.”
Treatment options
Only a very small percentage of people actually ends with symptoms.
“The family doctor would ideally treat the patient with antibiotics,” says Tuckey. “If the symptoms break through in the course of this treatment or after completion of the treatment, the family doctor will prescribe further treatment for another three weeks. Therefore, this would lead to a total of six weeks of antibiotics treatment.”
Piperacillin, an antibiotic in the same class as penicillin, is claimed to the most effective targeted treatment for Lyme -Borreliosis. It would include a lower dose than usual (a single impression of medication), and it is assumed that they have less problematic on the intestine, less likely to kill the useful bacteria in the intestine and are better suited for children. It is tested by scientists from Northwestern University in the USA.
With Lyme Borreliosis Life
Prof. Logan says: “It can disappear with treatment. If it is diagnosed early, it is usually treated with antibiotics what the infection can delete. Most people who receive timely treatment are completely recover and do not experience long -term complications.
“However, if no Lyme Borreliosis is treated in early stages, it can spread to other parts of the body, which leads to more severe symptoms such as arthritis, neurological problems and other problems. In these cases, more intensive treatments, including intravenous antibiotics.
prevention
To avoid being bitten by a tick, spray on insect offices before you go into the landscape and cover up with light, long -sleeved clothes.
Keep in clearly defined paths during the accommodation, avoid brushing the vegetation, checking the clothes or the exposed skin regularly. Remove all attached ticks as soon as you find them and carry out a quick body audit when they return.
FAQs from Lyme -Borreliosis
What should you do if you find a tick?
Avoid using tweezers if possible. “If you don’t know what you do, only remove ticks with a special tick remover tool, which is available from pharmacists. Pinchs do not work either.
Remove it carefully and keep it so that it is vertically above your skin. “The likelihood of dealing with Lyme Borreliosis is far less if you successfully remove the tick without pressing the innards into your body,” he adds. If you don’t have a tick remover, use clean, fine tweezers and avoid the tick. Do not use oil or nail polish.
What other diseases is it often confused?
Tuckey says it is often confused with fibromyalgia, myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and chronic fatigue syndrome. “Many of our patients have often passed through a variety of studies.”
Celebrities with Lyme -Borreliosis
Even the rich and famous are not immune. Miranda Hart revealed her fight against Lyme Borreliosis from the world of comedy and received her diagnosis after 33 years. Similarly, the singers Justin Bieber and Avril Lavigne shocked their fans when they revealed their struggle with the disease. Her stories remind you that there is no immunity compared to the unpredictable understanding of Lyme Borreliosis, an illness that is difficult to grasp because it is relentless and concerns millions around the world.