Symptoms of Lyme disease – cutaneous, neurological, joint and cardiac

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Lyme disease is also called Lyme disease. Symptoms of Lyme disease are caused by the spiral bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. The disease is transmitted by ticks, and although it has been known for over 100 years, it was only Willy Burgdorfer who stated in 1982 that it was caused by bacteria found in the intestines of ticks. What are the symptoms of Lyme disease?

Symptoms of Lyme disease – infection

Lyme disease is a serious disease that affects tens of thousands of people each year. The symptoms of Lyme disease do not always make themselves felt right away. Very often, the disease takes months to develop without showing any signs. Symptoms of Lyme disease can be very unspecific and come from different parts of the body.

You can only become infected with the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, also known as Lyme disease, by bitten by an infected tick. Lyme disease cannot be infected from a sick person. Borrelia bacteria are found in the midgut of a tick, so the path that the bacteria must travel to become infected by the host, i.e. humans, is quite long.

When bitten by an infected tick, infection develops on average within 24–48 hours. Over time, the risk of infection increases, and after 72 hours it is XNUMX% certain. That is why it is so important to remove the tick as soon as possible.

Lyme disease can be infected wherever there are ticks. After Lyme disease is cured, you can catch it again. However, it should be emphasized that not every person bitten by the tick will develop Lyme disease, even if they are infected with Borrelia. It happens that your body fights the infection on its ownand antibodies to Borrelia can be found in a person’s blood.

Symptoms of Lyme disease in the early and late stages of the disease

Lyme disease is not a disease that causes homogeneous symptoms in all patients. Not only are there different forms of Lyme disease (caused by different species of spirochetes), but some quite characteristic symptoms are observed only in some infected (e.g. erythema). Lyme disease it may go undetected for a long time because the deterioration of the patient’s health is gradual and the symptoms may not be characteristic.

The sooner Lyme disease is diagnosed, the better for the patient. Symptoms that differ in the early stage of Lyme disease (lasting up to 6 months) and the late stage (over 6 months) are helpful in diagnosing the disease.

Early localized Lyme disease usually develops within 8 weeks of being bitten by an infected tick. In this form, the disease presents itself in a limited way as:

1. migrating erythema;
2. cutaneous lymphocytic lymphoma;
3. Local lymphadenopathy (lymphadenopathy) and mild systemic symptoms.

Early disseminated Lyme disease may appear between 6 and 26 weeks after the tick bite. The spirochetes spread through the blood and occupy various organs, causing symptoms such as:

1. multiple erythema migrans;
2. neurological symptoms, i.e. neuroborreliosis;
3. arthritis;
4. inflammation of the heart;
5. choroidal retinitis (this is the eye form of the disease).

Late Lyme disease applies to people suffering from disease for more than 6 months – with this form of the disease, the risk of severe complications increases. The symptoms of late Lyme disease include:

1. chronic neuroborreliosis;
2. chronic atrophic dermatitis;
3. arthritis of a single or multiple nature.

Symptoms of Lyme disease – migratory erythema

Symptoms of Lyme disease are similar to those caused by other diseases, which is why it is often diagnosed by doctors of various specialties. The initial symptom of the disease and the most characteristic is the erythema around the injection, the so-called wandering erythema. It is a ring-shaped redness that is most often observed 3–30 days after Borrelia spirochetes enter the body.

It should be emphasized, however, that this symptom of Lyme disease appears only in some patients – according to various sources, in about 30-60% of patients. It is therefore worth paying attention to other symptoms that we do not always immediately associate with Lyme disease. Erythema may be accompanied by flu-like symptoms, including fatigue, dizziness and headaches, muscle and joint discomfort, and increased temperature. Local complaints in the area of ​​erythema, including a feeling of warmth, itching, vesicles, ecchymoses or ulcers, are rare.

Regarding multiple erythema migrans, it appears in about 4-8 percent. infected. It can occur simultaneously with primary erythema, but sometimes develops after it has subsided. The plural form of erythema is a few to several dozen smaller skin discolorations that do not have discoloration in the central part. The changes disappear after a few weeks, and in the case of antibiotic treatment, after a few days.

Other skin symptoms of Lyme disease

Although erythema is the most characteristic skin symptom of Lyme disease, other changes are sometimes seen on the skin of an infected person in the course of the disease. One of them is rare (observed in 1% of cases) cutaneous lymphocytic lymphoma, i.e. painless and benign reddish-blue lump. It occurs in quite unusual places, such as the auricles, scrotum, mammary glands or the nape of the neck. It can accompany migrating erythema, and if left untreated, it only disappears after several months or years.

Another skin symptom of Lyme disease is its later stage chronic atrophic dermatitis. This form of the disease may appear several years after a tick bite. There are skin changes in the limbs, sometimes the torso and face. They are accompanied by inflammation, swelling, redness, atrophic changes (paper skin), as well as itching, pain and paraesthesia.

Neurological symptoms of Lyme disease

Lyme disease can damage the nervous system – a form of the disease known as Lyme disease. It may appear in the early stage of the disease and last less than six months, but it can also develop 6 months or even several or several years after the infection. Due to the difficulty of diagnosing Lyme disease, it happens that it is confused with other neurological conditions:

1. multiple sclerosis (MS);
2. amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS);
3. a proliferative neoplastic process occurring within the central nervous system;
4. mental illnesses.

Early symptoms of Lyme disease manifest as paralysis of the cranial nerves, lymphocytic meningitis, as well as inflammation of the nerve roots and nerves. If all three conditions are present in a patient at the same time, it is known as the Bannwarth triad. In early Lyme disease, encephalitis may also develop.

In the case of late Lyme disease patients develop disease states such as chronic encephalomyelitis, meningitis, polyneuropathy or stroke symptoms.

In the course of Lyme disease, patients may suffer from various neurological symptoms, including problems with concentration and memory, cognitive impairment or other non-specific symptoms of the nervous system. The consequence of Lyme disease may also be the so-called chronic fatigue syndromewhich is characterized by chronic fatigue lasting more than 6 months.

See also:

1. Lyme disease in Poland is becoming more and more common. «10 years ago there were not so many cases
2. Tick-borne encephalitis – a dangerous disease that can be prevented
3. Ticks – the most important questions and answers

Symptoms of Lyme disease – arthritis

Lyme arthritis occurs both in the early and late stages of the disease. In 10 percent cases, there is a risk that the disease will become chronic. Articular Lyme disease most often manifests as swelling, redness, limited mobility and painfulness of large joints, including the knee, hip, ankle, wrist and ankle joints. Inflammatory exacerbations are interrupted by periods of remission.

Symptoms of the form of cardiac Lyme disease

Lyme disease in about 5 percent of cases it causes cardiac complications. Circulatory symptoms may be the only symptoms of spirochete disease, but they can also coexist with other symptoms. Patients may experience dyspnoea, fainting, and chest pains suggestive of heart blocks (e.g. bundle branches).

There are also tachycardias, atrial fibrillation, and myocarditis, pericarditis and endocarditis in the course of the disease. Cardiomyopathy may develop as a consequence of cardiac Lyme disease.

Nonspecific symptoms of Lyme disease

In addition to the symptoms listed above, people infected with Lyme disease may complain of non-specific ailments, such as fatigue, hearing disorders, paroxysmal neck pain (Donta’s symptom), hypersensitivity to alcohol, cognitive impairment and vision problems. In the early form of Lyme disease, the ocular form of the disease is also found, in which the retina and choroid are affected, as well as conjunctivitis.

Symptoms of Lyme disease – diagnosis

Tick ​​erythema is the most common symptom associated with Lyme disease. It often appears at the injection site, but can also be found on other parts of the body. If a patient notices these symptoms of Lyme disease and remembers that a tick has stung him, the doctor will prescribe antibiotics for him. Usually, diagnostic tests are not performed, as there are no antibodies in the blood in the early stages of the disease.

Subsequent diagnosis of Lyme disease it is not that simple anymore, because there are no other characteristic symptoms of Lyme disease. If the patient does not remember the tick bite, diagnosis takes a long time.

Laboratory tests do not always confirm the disease. A positive result must be verified so as not to overlook the true cause of the ailments. However, if the result is negative, then the doctor can almost be sure that it is not Lyme disease.

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Symptoms of Lyme disease – treatment

Lyme disease is caused by a bacterial infection. Antibiotics may be effective at the beginning of the disease. After the end of antibiotic therapy, chronically ill people often use supportive treatment and even rehabilitation.

When a patient develops erythema migrans, he is treated with doxycycline (Unidox Solutab) or amoxicillin for 14-21 days. If the patient is unable to tolerate these antibiotics for various reasons, cefuroxime (eg Zinnat, Bioracef) should be administered. Treatment with antibiotics should last a maximum of 28-30 days.

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It should also be remembered that doxycycline should not be administered to pregnant and breastfeeding women and children under 8 years of age.

As an alternative treatment, azithromycin can also be used recently, the treatment time is 17 days. Amoxicillin is mainly used in children under the age of 9, while in older children and adults – doxycycline.

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