Lyme disease

Definition

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that is transmitted to humans by ticks and sometimes other insects. It can lead to different symptoms of different organ systems.

Causes of Lyme disease

After taking up the bacterium “Borrelia burgdorferi” when biting wild animals, the infected ticks transmit the disease to humans when they bite and suck blood. The infection usually takes place only a few hours after the start of the act of sucking. For this reason, it is important to remove the ticks as soon as possible.
Only every tenth bite by an infected tick is followed by infection, only every hundredth bite by the disease. If the tick can be removed quickly and no rash can be seen within the next few days, an infection is rather unlikely.

risk of infection

Infection often takes place in the summer months from March to October. The risk of infection is highest in forests, parks, hiking trails, but also in gardens. Borreliosis infections are particularly common in the east and south-east of the republic.

You can avoid tick bites by avoiding tall grass and the shortcut through the “thicket”. Long clothing and insect repellent will also help protect against ticks.

After spending time outdoors, you should check your body thoroughly for ticks and tick bites, including in hidden places such as under the armpits, under underwear or on the hairline. It is also important to check your children for ticks. The mostly painless tick bite often goes unnoticed for a long time.

If a tick is found stuck in the skin, it must be removed immediately. With just a few steps you can remove the tick yourself as quickly as possible:

• Place the tick in the jaws of the tweezers/tick card just above the skin.
• Gently pry the tick outwards while gently pulling.
• Make sure that no part of the tick remains in the small wound.
• Try not to squeeze the tick in the wound.
• Dispose of the tick in a handkerchief.
• Disinfect the area with a skin antiseptic.
• Monitor the injection site over the next few days and weeks to avoid missing a rash.

There is no vaccination against Lyme disease. Ticks also transmit the TBE (tick-borne encephalitis) virus, against which a vaccination is available.

Symptoms of Lyme disease

The symptoms of the disease vary widely and are usually divided into three stages. The bacteria spread throughout the body from the bite site to the nervous system.

In the first stage, the skin changes are particularly important:

• Erythema migrans: A red rash often develops around the bite site a few days to weeks after infection. This enlarges within a few days and remains whitish to pale in the middle, resembling a ring or a target. The rash can sometimes be itchy or painful. In addition, general symptoms such as fever, fatigue, muscle and joint pain and weakness can occur. In addition, swelling of the lymph nodes is observed at this early stage.

If the rash goes away on its own without treatment, this is not proof that the disease has healed. On the contrary, this always requires antibiotic therapy.

Weeks, months, or years after the rash has subsided, other symptoms associated with the second stage may become apparent:

• Neuroborreliosis: The so-called “Bannwarth syndrome” occurs with nerve pain and paralysis of the legs and/or arms. In addition, the cranial nerves can be affected, so that, for example, facial muscle paralysis can occur. In addition, headaches occur again and again with “lymphocytic meningitis”.
• Lyme carditis: Inflammation of the heart muscle and cardiac arrhythmia

In the third stage, the following symptoms are observed, among others:

• Lyme arthritis: Joint pain caused by involvement of the joints, which can be long-lasting.
• Acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans: Chronic skin disease on the extensor sides of the legs

The disease can also be asymptomatic. Sometimes neither the original tick bite nor the classic rash is noticeable.

duration and prognosis

If left untreated, Lyme disease spreads over the entire body over months to years. Since it often proceeds without the classic symptoms, it may go unnoticed for years. The infection can be treated quickly and easily with antibiotics. The symptoms usually disappear with therapy within a few weeks.
The disease is not life-threatening and usually has a good prognosis. The earlier the disease is discovered, the better the chances of therapeutic success.

Diagnosis of suspected Lyme disease

The doctor can often make a diagnosis based on the symptoms described. He will also take a look at the former tick bite site and examine the rash.

In rare unclear cases without the classic rash, he can also carry out a special blood test. Your blood is tested for the presence of special antibodies against Borrelia. However, this examination is often incorrect, so that he can also create a culture of the bacteria or have the bacteria detected by means of a special gene sequencing.

If an attack on the central nervous system is suspected, he will also remove and examine spinal fluid during a puncture.
If the joints are inflamed, a joint puncture can also be done.

treatment of Lyme disease

Various antibiotics are available, most of which work well against the bacterial infection. As a rule, they have to be taken for several weeks. The inflammation is then usually healed. Very rarely, the paralysis associated with neuroborreliosis does not fully resolve.
Please note that repeated tick bites can cause re-infection at any time.

How can Med-Healths help?

Noticed a tick bite or weird rash and not sure what it is? Send a picture to a doctor via the Med-Healths app. He can help you find an answer. In the case of Lyme disease, he can also prescribe a suitable antibiotic for you. In difficult or unclear cases, he will recommend experts for the treatment and issue a referral. He can also give you detailed advice on how to protect yourself from annoying tick bites.