![]() But the Lyme disease blood tests are not reliable and can cause more harm that good in detecting Lyme disease because the tests sometimes yield false negative results that throw doctors off the scent of other consistent symptoms. Sure, there are laboratory tests with scientifically reliably sounding names - western blot and ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) - that are used to try to detect Lyme disease. If a doctor is not on top of his/her game, Lyme disease is easy to misdiagnose. But for a minority of patients, it can lead to potentially life threatening meningitis, arthritis, nerve and heart damage, and other long term complications if treatment is delayed. When the symptoms of Lyme disease are caught quickly, a 10-to-28-day course of treatment will cure up to 95 percent of human patients without serious side effects. Lyme disease symptoms also include double or blurred vision, fainting, dizziness, chest pain, painful joints, loss of coordination, paralysis and memory loss. Lyme disease should be suspected in cases where a tick bite is known, even without the presence of a "bull's eye rash". In some cases these symptoms may be mistaken for a flu or illness. Patients may present with headache, stiff neck, body ache and/or fever subsequent to a tick bite (which the patient may or may not be aware of). ![]() Due to the variations in the presentation of the rash, it may be diagnosed as a spider bite, cellulitis (a bacterial skin infection) or tinea corposis (a fungal skin infection). Size also ranges between 5cm to greater than 250cm. Further, many rashes are not in a typical "bull's eye" pattern and may be round or oval and range in color. The presence of a "bull's eye rash" only occurs in approximately 50% of cases. In some cases, the patient may have a "bull's eye rash" near the bite or elsewhere on the body. Proper diagnosis of Lyme disease is critical because treatment is most effective if detected early. Ticks inject a substance which anesthetizes the host so that a bite is not felt. In fact, it is estimated that only 15-50% of patients recall being bitten by a tick. Further, patients may not be aware that they have been bitten by a tick. A review of history with the patient may not always include recent travel by the patient which may have increased the patients risk for exposure. (Conversely, there is only a handful of annual reports of Lyme disease in Baltimore City.) Still, many Maryland doctors do not realize how widespread the disease is and often dismiss patient's concerns and reject Lyme disease as a potential differential diagnosis. In Maryland, deer ticks carrying Lyme disease are everywhere, particularly on or near Maryland's Eastern Shore. Lyme disease is everywhere: it is found in every state in the country. The highest incidence is in children aged 2 to 15, and adults aged 30 to 55. The true prevalence of Lyme disease is not known as many cases go undiagnosed, but is estimated to be 3 to 5 fold higher. The CDC estimates that the prevalence is 7.3 cases per 100,000 in the US. ![]() Over 1,100 of these cases were in Maryland. The CDC reports that in 2010 there were 22,572 confirmed reported cases of Lyme disease last year in the U.S. Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vector-borne illness. burgdorferi), generally passed through the bite of ticks, but perhaps also through other biting insects. Lyme disease is a commonly misdiagnosed bacterial illness caused by Borrelia burgdorferi ( B.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |