BACTERIA

The effects of Lyme disease on the body

Lyme disease is an infectious disease caused by a parasite and a zoonosis that affects humans and animals. It is the bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi that transmits the disease to humans through the bite of an infected tick. It can affect many organs and systems. Its clinical manifestations are rheumatological, neurological and cutaneous. It is also multi-microbial in nature. If left untreated, it can progress over many years through different stages and increase the effects of Lyme disease.

A variety of symptoms you need to know about to avoid the effects of Lyme disease

Symptoms are different from person to person. An individual may experience mild flu symptoms shortly after being bitten. Symptoms may be more severe in other people and may not appear until several weeks after the sting. There are 3 phases in the course of the disease.

Phase One Lyme Disease

The first sign is a skin lesion called ECM or chronic erythema migrans. It appears 3 to 30 days after a person has been bitten by an infected tick. It is a red erythematous papule with the bite site in the centre. Its extension is progressive and centrifugal. It often sits on the lower limbs, but sometimes it sits on the face, especially in children.

The effects of Lyme disease are manifested by the following symptoms:

Phase two of Lyme disease

Without treatment, the second stage of Lyme disease appears a few weeks or months after the first stage. Red spots in the form of skin lesions appear. The patient experiences joint and muscle pain. Arthritis appears in the shoulders, elbows and knees. Neurological disorders such as meningitis may occur. The facial nerve is most often affected. But the roots of the nerves involved in the sting can become inflamed to the point of being very painful. This is called hyper-algic radiculitis. Heart pain is felt. They are similar to atrioventricular conduction disorders, chest pain, palpitations, loss of consciousness or syncope. These are the effects of Lyme disease.

Phase Three Lyme Disease

If the patient has not been treated in the first two phases, the third phase can be fatal. It occurs months or even years after the onset of the disease. The infection can spread to all organs. It can affect joints, eyes, brain, spinal cord and nerves. These are the effects of Lyme disease. Heart problems can take a serious form. Contamination of the spleen and heart is to be feared. Parts of the skin may atrophy and have a wrinkled, reddish-violet appearance.

Tick paralysis, an effect of Lyme disease

The effects of Lyme disease are of different kinds. Tick paralysis is one of them. It is an infectious disease caused by a neurotoxin in the salivary glands of ticks.

The signs that should alert are:

This paralysis can be fatal if the tick is not removed quickly at the risk of transmitting the toxin to its host. In some cases, removal may be necessary to prevent serious sequelae. It is important to remove the tick without leaving even a tiny part of it.

Different disorders as an effect of Lyme disease

Lyme disease responds to many symptoms. The effects of Lyme disease For example, arthritis is an inflammatory disease that affects the joints or has neurological damage. It is treated exceptionally with antibiotics, ceftriaxone or doxycycline, amoxicillin. Once the presence of the bacterium in the joint is verified, healing is guaranteed provided that the patient strictly follows the prescribed treatment.

85% of acute neurological damage due to Lyme disease is related to meningo-radiculitis. Tingling and pain inflame the nerve roots, causing headaches that are sometimes unbearable. This contributes to the paralysis of a limb or the face.

Post-Lyme disease is an effect of Lyme disease. The disorders are similar to fibromyalgia, neuropsychic pain affecting attention and memory, and chronic fatigue. Sometimes there is a central disturbance in the body.