Lyme borreliosis, the other term for Lyme disease is a disease caused by bacterial infection. This bacteria is spread by ticks of the borrelia type or species. It gets to human beings through a tick bite from an infected tick. The tick gets the infection from host animals that are infected. Such animals include deer and mice. The bacterium however, is not carried by all ticks. Treatment of many diseases has been developed due to their prevalence. Due to this, vast developments have also been taken in developing the cure of Lyme disease. Elaboration of the question;is there a cure for lyme disease, has been done below.
After the tick gets attached to you, it takes around 36 to 48 hour to pass the infection to your body. Removal of these ticks is not possible due to their small size making them difficult to recognize. In addition to that, the ticks hide in difficult-to see areas such as the armpits, groin and the scalp regions. Erythema migrans, a reddish area that starts as a rash and expands is the first signal of infection. It usually occurs one week after being bitten. The area won't be painful or itchy.
Other symptoms that may follow include fevers, headaches and feeling tired. Within the body, joints, face, neck, muscles and even the heart may be affected by this infection. These lead to the said signs and symptoms in addition to muscle pains and neck stiffness. It may also lead to meningeal inflammation in the brain. Diagnosis of this disorder is usually based on the above symptoms. Blood test is however the officially confirmatory means of diagnosing it.
Getting cured from the disorder is very possible. The chances of getting cured without complications are increased with early diagnosis and treatment of this disease. Complications arising from the disease may occur if diagnosis is made at a later stage, after the disorder has spread.
For curative treatment, antibiotics have been proven effective. The first line drug in the treatment of this disorder is Doxycycline. In addition to being able to cure the disease, Doxycycline has an added advantage of being able to treat other diseases caused by ticks. Every drug has side effects. For Doxycycline, the side effects appear to be fatal for children less than eight of age and women who are pregnant.
In addition to Doxycycline, amoxicillin and azithromycin are the other antibiotic medications used as second line for treatment of Lyme disorder. Oral and intravenous routes of administration can be used to administer them. Treatment regimen usually varies and range from one to four weeks of therapy. This regimen depends on the severity of the disease. Initiating treatment within two weeks of infection increases its effectiveness. This however, is not possible as it takes five weeks for the bacteria to appear in blood used for confirmatory diagnosis.
Prevention, having the advantage of being economical, is better than treatment. This makes prevention therefore a better option. Several ways of preventing Lyme disorder have been developed. Initially, vaccination, which was considered to be effective was being used. Due to the small market, production of vaccines stopped.
Wearing of protective clothing such as long sleeved hat and long trousers or boots is another preventive method. Also, light colored clothing make the tick easily visible for removal before it attaches itself. Using insect repellents, keeping off long grass and reducing contacts with primary hosts, deer and mice would also help in prevention.
After the tick gets attached to you, it takes around 36 to 48 hour to pass the infection to your body. Removal of these ticks is not possible due to their small size making them difficult to recognize. In addition to that, the ticks hide in difficult-to see areas such as the armpits, groin and the scalp regions. Erythema migrans, a reddish area that starts as a rash and expands is the first signal of infection. It usually occurs one week after being bitten. The area won't be painful or itchy.
Other symptoms that may follow include fevers, headaches and feeling tired. Within the body, joints, face, neck, muscles and even the heart may be affected by this infection. These lead to the said signs and symptoms in addition to muscle pains and neck stiffness. It may also lead to meningeal inflammation in the brain. Diagnosis of this disorder is usually based on the above symptoms. Blood test is however the officially confirmatory means of diagnosing it.
Getting cured from the disorder is very possible. The chances of getting cured without complications are increased with early diagnosis and treatment of this disease. Complications arising from the disease may occur if diagnosis is made at a later stage, after the disorder has spread.
For curative treatment, antibiotics have been proven effective. The first line drug in the treatment of this disorder is Doxycycline. In addition to being able to cure the disease, Doxycycline has an added advantage of being able to treat other diseases caused by ticks. Every drug has side effects. For Doxycycline, the side effects appear to be fatal for children less than eight of age and women who are pregnant.
In addition to Doxycycline, amoxicillin and azithromycin are the other antibiotic medications used as second line for treatment of Lyme disorder. Oral and intravenous routes of administration can be used to administer them. Treatment regimen usually varies and range from one to four weeks of therapy. This regimen depends on the severity of the disease. Initiating treatment within two weeks of infection increases its effectiveness. This however, is not possible as it takes five weeks for the bacteria to appear in blood used for confirmatory diagnosis.
Prevention, having the advantage of being economical, is better than treatment. This makes prevention therefore a better option. Several ways of preventing Lyme disorder have been developed. Initially, vaccination, which was considered to be effective was being used. Due to the small market, production of vaccines stopped.
Wearing of protective clothing such as long sleeved hat and long trousers or boots is another preventive method. Also, light colored clothing make the tick easily visible for removal before it attaches itself. Using insect repellents, keeping off long grass and reducing contacts with primary hosts, deer and mice would also help in prevention.
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