Lyme Disease

My last post highlighted the arrival of a new kind of tick in WV, but this one reminds us of the old homey, deer tick, and its associated illness Lyme Disease. Lyme Disease is a common and often misconstrued disorder. If caught early, it should be an easily treatable disease.

Lyme’s Disease is caused by infection with the organism, Borrelia burgdorferi, which is transmitted by the bite of a deer tick.

Once infected, Lyme disease is often first noted with a typical bullseye rash, but other more systemic symptoms can follow if the disease is not treated. The typical rash, erythema migrans, can appear 3 to 30 days after a tick bite and expands slowly over a few days up to 12 inches in diameter. As in the patient below, the rash can occur in multiple sites and may not be at the site of the tick bite. No topical treatment is needed for the rash, but oral antibiotics are needed to prevent the spread of Lyme disease. Following the rash systemic symptoms can develop weeks and years after the initial tick bite, if not appropriately treated.

CDC guidelines say that a person should be treated for Lyme disease if a tick is found that has been intact for > 36-48 hours. Unless regular checks are performed it is often hard to know how long a tick has been attached. If you discover a tick or are bitten by one, keep it just in case. Place the tick in a glass container with the date and put it in the freezer for reference.

Also, beware of medical professionals who treat for Chronic Lyme Disease. According to the CDC there is NO EVIDENCE of the benefit of long term treatment in appropriately treated individuals. Check out the CDC article and NIH articles on this controversial topic. https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/postlds/index.html and https://www.niaid.nih.gov/diseases-conditions/chronic-lyme-disease  Please refer loved ones to these articles to avoid being lured into the spending of tens of thousands of dollars on treatments that are not proven and not covered by insurance.

This summer be on the watch! Use an insecticide that protects against ticks, do regular checks after being outside and keep any ticks you remove that were attached to be safe.

See our prior articles about the Tick Bites and Insect Repellent to learn more about how to recognize and protect yourself from Tick-Borne Illnesses.

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