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It is a type of Lyme disease that is common in Europe – it accounts for 15-40 percent. among all cases of this disease. It affects people of all ages and is classified as a multi-organ disease. It attacks the peripheral and central nervous system.
The course of neuroborreliosis and symptoms of the disease
Disease bacteria reach there primarily through blood vessels, as well as through nerve fibers or lymphatic vessels. The disease causes progressive inflammatory process of the nervous tissue, it also has a destructive effect on the anatomical structures of the brain. Both physical and mental well-being deteriorate.
Involvement of the nervous system by Borrelia spirochetes may occur immediately after infection, after several months, or even several years after a tick bite. Neurological symptoms usually appear within 1-3 months.
The course of neuroborreliosis may resemble diseases related to the nervous system, e.g. depression, neurosis or multiple sclerosis. Various symptoms are characteristic of neuroborreliosis, which sometimes can arise after a tick bite has long been forgotten – and worsen over time. This is due to many factors, including from the immunological diversity of each person and the predisposition of bacteria to occupy the nervous system.
Also check: Articular Lyme disease – course and treatment
Basic symptoms of neuroborreliosis there are fatigue, drowsiness and depression. Patients see a doctor when their joints start to hurt or feel any psychosomatic ailments. According to some sources, Lyme disease can cause bipolar disorder. There are three phases of Lyme disease. In the first, the patient may complain about:
- muscle aches,
- headaches,
- problems with concentration,
- joint pain and stiffness,
- problems with motor coordination.
It may occur in this phase Bannwarth syndromewhich is characterized by simultaneous manifestation of cranial neuropathies, painful radiculitis and meningitis. Migratory erythema, characteristic of Lyme disease, occurs in 50% of patients. infected people. It happens that it shows up in a completely different place than where the tick was pinned. These symptoms can all appear 2-3 weeks after the bite. In the second phase (several weeks or months after the bite), the disease can cause:
- numbness in the limbs,
- muscle tingling and paralysis,
- meningitis,
- encephalitis.
When it comes to third phase (from several months to several years after the bite), then the following appear:
- severe mobility problems
- paresis,
- mental disorders,
- psychosis.
Patients who have previously been diagnosed with depression and anxiety disorder are particularly vulnerable to mental disorders. These types of symptoms occur in about 0,5 percent. patients.
See: Lymphatic borreliosis – symptoms and diagnosis of the disease
Otherwise in various stages of the disease, they can tease us mine.:
- hypersensitivity,
- muscle tremors
- seizures
- fibromyalgia,
- anorexia
- memory impairment,
- insomnia,
- apathy,
- aggression,
- hyperactivity.
As the disease progresses into successive phases, it destroys the patient’s organism more and more and poses a serious threat to his health and life. Additionally, the accompanying little specific symptoms make it difficult for the doctor to make a correct diagnosis. The neurological ones make it it is sometimes confused with neurodegenerative diseasesFor example, with multiple sclerosis or senile dementia, as well as with psychosomatic diseases – that is why its detection can be complicated. Moreover, many patients do not even realize that they have had contact with the tick, and if so, how long it lasted. They may also have forgotten that migratory erythema had appeared on their skin (and it might not have appeared at all). Therefore, a detailed interview is extremely important, so that the doctor learns as much as possible, because this may lead him to the trail of neuroborreliosis. He can also confirm the diagnosis of this disease microscopic examination or by PCR cerebrospinal fluid. However, the later the disease phase, the less sensitive the PCR test is.
Effortless genetic testing to diagnose the risk of tick-borne diseases – a package available all over Poland
Neuroborreliosis is often treated in a hospital setting. It can take anywhere from 10 to 30 days, and it’s not easy at all. Sometimes symptoms persist despite the use of antibiotics. Drugs are selected according to the patient’s condition – they can be tetracycline, penicillin, doxycycline and cephalosporins, which sometimes need to be administered intravenously.
Excerpt from Małgorzata Radomska’s book “Lyme disease”
Read also:
- Attention! These voivodeships have the highest number of cases of Lyme disease
- A tick bit me. Should I get a Lyme test?
- Not only Lyme disease. What else can a tick bite end?
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