Index
- Can Lyme disease be cured?
- What is Lyme disease?
- What are the causes of this disease?
- Is it contagious?
- How does Lyme disease manifest itself?
- How's it evolving?
- Is there a cure for this disease and what treatments are available?
Can Lyme disease be cured?
Many diseases are still unknown to the general public even though they affect many people. Lyme disease falls into this category and is potentially very disabling. Anyone can get this disease because it is transmitted through tick bites. It is therefore important to be familiar with the disease, its transmission, causes and symptoms. When hearing about this disease for the first time, people's reflex is to ask if it can be treated and if there is a cure. Well, you'll find all the answers to your questions in the following.
What is Lyme disease?
Lyme disease is primarily a vector-borne disease. This means that it is only transmitted to humans by a third agent which are certain species of ticks. At the origin of the disease is the bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi which the ticks carry and which they transmit to humans or animals via the bite. It is a bacterium that is present in shrews, squirrels and mice.
People working outdoors (farmers, stockbreeders,...) as well as those who spend a lot of time in the forest or outdoors are the most exposed to this disease. Nevertheless, anyone can contract it.
What are the causes of this disease?
As mentioned above, Lyme disease is caused by bacteria from tick bites. There are two strains of this bacteria that can cause this disease:
- Borrelia afzelii - this strain of the bacterium is not very common. But when it does affect humans, the symptoms of Lyme disease are mainly cutaneous. This form of the disease mainly affects people in Asia and Western Europe.
- Borreliosis transmitted by the tick Ixodes ricinus - this is the most common strain in Europe. This type of tick is found in most wetlands, woodlands, parks and meadows. City dwellers can therefore be bitten by this insect when walking in urban parks. At all stages of its development, this form of tick can transmit the bacterium. In any case, it is not present in places higher than 1500 metres above sea level.
Is it contagious?
Because Lyme disease is transmitted by tick bites, it is not contagious. Therefore, there is no risk that a sick person can pass it on to another healthy person. However, you should be careful about your pets, as they can carry infected ticks from outside and infect you.
How does Lyme disease manifest itself?
In the majority of cases, tick bites go unnoticed because they are painless. But once a person is infected with the bacteria responsible for Lyme disease, several symptoms may appear over time. Here are the most common ones:
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Chills and fever
- Spasms
- A feeling of weakness
- Skin rashes
- Lymph nodes that are swollen
- Tingling and numbness
The rashes that are very characteristic of this disease have the particularity of being growing and resembling a widening target. Rings form around the bite.
In addition, other symptoms may also appear depending on the severity of the infection. These are mainly:
- Stiff neck
- Extreme fatigue
- Pain in the joints
- Nervous system disorders
- Cognitive dysfunctions
- Heart arrhythmia{/xtypo_list}
How's it evolving?
The many symptoms of Lyme disease do not occur at the same time. In fact, the severity of the disease and its symptoms progresses over time through three stages:{xtypo_list}
- The first stage - it occurs between 3 days to a month after the bite and is characterized by the appearance of red, round, painless spots at the site of the tick bite. After a few days the spots spread.
- The second stage - a few weeks to a few months later, if the patient has not received antibiotic treatment, neurological and rheumatological symptoms appear.
- The third stage - after several years, Lyme disease persists and the symptoms of phase two become chronic and worsening. This can lead to lymphocytic meningitis, vision problems, memory loss and depression.
Is there a cure for this disease and what treatments are available?
Even though the consequences of Lyme disease can be very serious, you need to know that Lyme disease can be properly treated. The most important condition for a complete cure is to start treatment as soon as possible. In fact, since this disease is bacterial in origin, a treatment based on antibiotics can be used to cure it. As noted above, the effectiveness of the treatment depends on the stage of the disease at which it was administered.
