What is Lyme disease?

Lyme disease is the result of infection with the spirochete Borrelia Burgdorferi. It is generally thought that the infection is the result of a tick bite, which about 50% of the time results in a rash, often described as a ‘bulls eye’ rash, but which can vary in appearance.

Symptoms of untreated Lyme disease typically include joint aches which seem to migrate from one joint to another over days), flu-like symptoms (fever, chills, body aches, headache), neuro-psychiatric problems (e.g., Bell’s palsy-paralysis of one side of the face; numbness, weakness, mood disorders, psychosis, cognitive impairment, even seizures). Some people report abnormal heartbeats (conduction abnormalities), or gastrointestinal problems.

There is an extreme polarization around the twin questions of diagnosis and treatment for those with Lyme disease. The highly charged and politicized conflict between the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) and International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) is well described in Pamela Weintraub’s excellent book, Cure Unknown.

• It is an infection with a bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi, transmitted by the bite of a deer tick.

• The tick is so small, sometimes as small as a poppy seed, that you may not be aware of a tick bite.

• Symptoms of Lyme disease may occur within days or may not occur for many weeks after infection.

• Lyme disease may involve any part of your body: skin, joints, muscles, the nervous system, the heart, the intestinal tract.

• Laboratory tests for Lyme disease are imperfect and can be misleading.

• Prompt treatment of early infection improves the likelihood of cure, but persistent chronic infection may occur and can take many forms.

• The possibility of Lyme disease should be carefully considered in anyone with unexplained fatigue, fever or muscle pain, in people with an acute unexplained change in emotional or cognitive function, and in everyone given a diagnosis of autoimmune or degenerative neurological disease.

Lyme disease is an infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. B. burgdorferi is a bacterium that is carried by a group of closely related species of ticks known as Lxodes. An infected tick can transmit the bacteria to humans and animals through its bite. The bacteria enter the body at the spot where the tick has bitten.

Ticks in the species of Lxodes, including deer ticks (also called black-legged ticks) and western black-legged ticks, are much smaller than the common dog or cattle ticks, and attach to any part of the body, most often to moist or hairy areas such as the groin, armpits, and scalp. The deer tick (Lxodes scapularis) is the primary carrier of Lyme disease in eastern North America.

If not treated, the bacteria travel through the bloodstream and attach to various body tissues. This may cause a number of symptoms, some of which are severe. Lyme disease is an inflammatory disorder, affecting joints, the nervous system, the heart, and the skin.

Symptoms include joint pain and flu-like signs, such as a fever, aches, and chills. Pain in the muscles and joints is common early on in Lyme disease. Many individuals experience spontaneous improvement of the pain, or a diminishment of it over time. In about 20% of people with untreated Lyme disease, arthritis (inflammation) of the joints can become chronic.

Severe symptoms include neurological (nerve) damage, including memory loss, difficulty concentrating, and changes in mood or sleep habits.

Most cases begin in the summer. In areas that have mild winters, the pattern is less seasonally specific.

If diagnosed and treated early with antibiotics, Lyme disease is almost always readily cured. However, the virus may lie dormant in the body for years and reappear.

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Lyme disease is an illness from getting bitten by a tick infected with a certain type of bacteria. It can cause fatigue, headache, stiff neck, fever, sore muscles and joints, and sometimes a red rash that looks like a bull's-eye.

Antibiotics usually work. If you don't get treated right away, Lyme disease can cause serious problems with the joints, nervous system, and heart.