Lyme disease attacks. More and more Poles are ill. Don’t ignore these symptoms

In 2022, over 5,6 thousand jobs have been confirmed so far. cases of Lyme disease, while a year ago it was 4,4 thousand. cases. So the difference is huge. Given these data, it’s worth knowing what should potentially worry us about Lyme disease. How is this disease manifested?

1. There were 103 patients who reported to doctors with tick-borne encephalitis this year (data were collected from January to July). This is almost twice as much as a year ago in the same period, informs the National Institute of Public Health – National Institute of Hygiene
2. As for Lyme disease, this year by July there were 1,2 thousand people in Poland. cases than last year
3. Lyme disease is transmitted by ticks, so it is so important to know what symptoms appear after a bite if there were spirochetes of bacteria in the insect’s body Borellia burgdorferi
4. The first very characteristic symptom is erythema migrans, but it does not appear in all patients
5. More information can be found on the Onet homepage

Lyme borreliosis, abbreviated as LB (Lyme borreliosis), is caused by bacteria Borellia burgdorferi (in the form of cysts or spirochetes), which is why the disease is called tick-borne disease. The bacteria are transmitted by ticks. It is easy to get infected with it, for example while in the forest. According to the National Institute of Hygiene (PZH), the occurrence of Lyme disease in Europe is about 22,6 cases per 100 thousand. people during the year.

The data show that this year there are many more cases of both Lyme disease and TBE. This means that you have to be very careful when spending time outdoors, use deterrents, and carefully inspect your body when you return.

Here’s what should worry us if there is a bite.

Migratory erythema – the most characteristic symptom of Lyme disease

Wandering erythema (from Latin. erythema migrans) is the most characteristic symptom of Lyme disease. When we notice it on our body, it is necessary to see a doctor. Then, doctors most often decide to administer an antibiotic. As described by the drug. Dagmara Chmurzyńska-Rutkowska in the blog Mama Pediatra, erythema is “a typical symptom of early Lyme disease”.

However, erythema does not appear in all patients. Experts estimate that it occurs in about 70-80 percent. of them – reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US federal government agency that is part of the health department).

The change in the skin can be warm to the touch – describes the American Mayo Clinic. It probably does not itch and does not hurt. Most often it appears exactly at the site of the bite within 3-30 days. Usually it is about 5 cm in diameter, but sometimes it can be up to 30 cm or more – reports the CDC. After some time, the erythema begins to resemble an eye (red border on the outside and a red dot in the center, separated by a band of non-reddened skin, as in the photo above).

Other symptoms of Lyme disease

Other symptoms that accompany Lyme disease are severe headache and stiff neck, fever, chills, general weakness of the body, swollen lymph nodes, paralysis of the facial muscles (manifested by the drooping of the eyelid or corner of the mouth), arthritis (especially swollen knees, but also pain in the bones and tendons, irregular heartbeat (which could mean that the spirochetes have got into the area causing inflammation of the organ), dizziness, shortness of breath, and recurring tingling in the feet and hands.

All these symptoms may appear several days after the bite, as well as after several weeks or months. They can go on all the time, overlap or alternate.

According to the Mayo Clinic (a clinic that brings together 4,7 doctors and scientists), other symptoms that may appear, although much less frequently, are eye inflammation, hepatitis, or feeling very tired.