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Otherwise Lyme arthritis is one form of Lyme disease. Joint pain or stiffness may not appear until several months or even several years after infection.
Lyme arthritis – what is it?
These are not joint aches that we all have from time to time. It’s a classic inflammation: the joint is severely swollen, red and painful. These ailments are often asymmetric, not too severe, most often affecting the joints of the limbs. Usually it is one of the large joints and the inflammation is asymmetrical, i.e. it only hurts on the left side. It may go away on its own or develop into acute or chronic arthritis after a few weeks.
It is worth knowing that, unlike the United States, in Europe Lyme arthritis it is rare. However, since we have many American books and studies on Lyme disease, people with joint problems often mistake them for Lyme disease. And more often it is, for example, a degenerative disease or rheumatic diseases.
Have a question about ticks or tick-borne diseases? Send them to the following address: [email protected].
You can find the list of answers in the tab: Ticks and Lyme disease – frequently asked questions and answers.
Sometimes better sometimes worse
Joint involvement usually appears within 6 months (from 2 weeks to 2 years) after the first symptoms, according to various sources, it occurs in 50-60% of patients. untreated patients and 30 percent. treated. They most often occur during the period of disseminated infection, which lasts from a few days to 10–12 months.
The most common symptoms concern the knee joints (63%), less often the ankles, shoulder and elbow joints, temporomandibular joints and hand joints. There are also cases when Borrelia infection affects the hip joint.
- If the knee joints are affected, Baker’s cysts may also develop and may rupture.
- In the periods between exacerbations, the joints may appear to be quite healthy (there are no problems with the musculoskeletal system).
- Subsequent relapses are usually less intense.
Do your hands and feet hurt?
It’s not Lyme disease! A unique feature of Lyme arthritis is that it can wander – change places. For example, it starts at the shoulder and goes to the elbow. From the elbow, the swelling spreads to the knee, etc. Patients often come and complain, for example, that their fingers are sore. But Lyme disease practically does not affect the small joints of the hands and feet.
When the disease becomes chronic
About 10 percent. people who have not been given antibiotic therapy on time, the disease becomes chronic. Chronic arthritis can be diagnosed when symptoms of arthritis in the same localization persist for at least a year. The knee joints are most often affected by Lyme disease. Destructive changes in the joints can be the result, but they only occasionally lead to permanent damage, and even more rarely to immobilization of the joint.
Chronic arthritis very rarely takes the form of polyarthritis, where it mimics rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Treatment of articular Lyme disease
The articular form of the disease can be successfully treated with oral antibiotic therapy. In most patients, under the influence of antibiotics used for 2–4 weeks, arthritis and other musculoskeletal symptoms completely resolve. According to the current recommendations, antibiotic therapy in Lyme disease should not be repeated more often than 2-3 times.
The first flare of arthritis, according to the recommendations in force in Poland, should be treated with an oral antibiotic for 14–28 days, and in relapses of arthritis, intravenous antibiotic therapy is also recommended for 14–28 days.
In the case of antibiotic-resistant chronic Lyme arthritis, symptomatic treatment is used – non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, disease-modifying drugs (hydroxychloroquine) and intra-articular glucocorticosteroid injections.
- Check if you could catch Lyme disease. Order Lyme Disease PCR Test Shipment (tick test).
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If chronic arthritis persists for more than 12 months, arthroscopic synovectomy (surgery to remove the affected synovial membrane from a joint or tendon) is recommended.
The fragment comes from the book “Lyme disease”.
Read also:
- What to do when a tick bites you?
- Lyme disease in Poland is becoming more and more common. «10 years ago there were not so many cases»
- The most dangerous tick-borne diseases. What can you get infected in Polish plein-airs? What are the symptoms?
- A little known symptom of Lyme disease. Check what should worry you
- Mosquitoes and ticks hate this smell. It is also effective against fleas and animals
- Which remedies best protect against ticks? What to spray children and animals with
- Tick bite – what to do?