Lyme disease is an infection caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected tick. Symptoms including headache, fever, and muscle aches are common and usually show up 3 to 30 days after being bitten.
Many people recover quickly from Lyme disease after taking antibiotics that destroy the bacteria. However, even with the bacteria gone, others experience symptoms for months or even years after treatment. This is known as chronic or post-treatment Lyme disease (PTLD).
This article will try to answer the question, Does Lyme disease stay with you forever? We’ll look into the causes and symptoms of Lyme disease, and discuss why PTLD is difficult to diagnose and treat.
Causes
Lyme disease is spread by infected black-legged ticks, commonly known as deer ticks. When the tick attaches to the host, the bacteria are released into the bloodstream and quickly spreads throughout the body.
To spread the bacteria, a tick needs to be attached to the host for 36 to 48 hours. Most people are infected with juvenile ticks known as nymphs, which at less than 2mm in size, are very difficult to see. Typically spreading during spring and summer months, ticks can attach to any part of the body but are typically found around the groin, armpits, and scalp.
How to Remove a Tick
If you find a tick attached to your skin, use fine-tipped metal tweezers to remove it as soon as possible. Pull the tick upward and don’t twist as this may cause the mouth parts to remain in the skin.
Once removed, wipe the bite site with rubbing alcohol and wash with soap and water. Do not crush the tick as this can cause bacteria to spread. Instead, dispose of it by placing the tick in alcohol, in a sealed bag, or by flushing it down the toilet.
Symptoms of Lyme Disease
The first sign of a tick bite is usually a small red lump similar to a mosquito bite where the tick has attached to the skin. While not every tick carries the Lyme disease bacteria, common early symptoms of infection include:
- Flu-like ailments including fever, headache, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, and muscle or joint aches.
- According to the CDC, 70-80% of infected people experience an Erythema migrans (or bulls-eye) rash. Typically appearing a week after being bitten, the rash expands gradually and may be warm to the touch.
While these early symptoms occur in the first 30 days of infection, later-stage symptoms can be quite severe. Sometimes occurring months after being infected, these symptoms include:
- Additional rashes
- Severe headaches
- Intermittent pain and weakness
- Severe joint pain and swelling
- Heart palpitations
- Dizziness and shortness of breath
- Memory problems
- Facial paralysis
The Mayo Clinic also advises less common symptoms such as:
- Liver inflammation (hepatitis)
- Inflammation in the membranes of the brain (meningitis)
- Eye inflammation
Diagnosis
Lyme disease can be difficult to diagnose as many of the symptoms are present in a range of illnesses. Diagnosis is typically based on your symptoms and medical history, and your doctor may ask where and when you’ve spent time outdoors.
Blood tests can be helpful in identifying the presence of the bacteria, but only in some cases. These tests are effective once your body has developed antibodies, which is normally a few weeks after being infected. If tested before this time, the tests are unable to produce an accurate result.
Treatment
When caught early, Lyme disease can be successfully treated with a course of oral antibiotics, including doxycycline, amoxicillin, and cefuroxime axetil. The symptoms typically subside quickly, but a doctor may prescribe a second course of antibiotics should they persist.
For late-stage and more severe infections that have spread to the central nervous system, intravenous (IV) antibiotics such as ceftriaxone or penicillin are used. Typically lasting 2 to 3 weeks, this helps fight the infection more quickly as it’s injected directly into your bloodstream.
While some alternative treatments for Lyme disease exist, there is little scientific evidence backing up their effectiveness. If you’re considering any alternatives to antibiotics, speak to your doctor first about any possible complications or side effects.
Post-Treatment Lyme Disease (PTLD)
Most people recover quickly after taking a prescribed course of antibiotics. However, a study from John Hopkins Medicine found that between 5 to 30 percent of those originally diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease also experienced symptoms associated with PTLD.
While this number is high, PTLD is the cause of much debate in the medical community. Symptoms are vague and can often be associated with many other illnesses. When the subjects of the John Hopkins study were tested, few clinically significant differences were identified. Despite their seemingly normal lab results, researchers found that the symptoms of fatigue, insomnia, pain, and depression can indeed persist for a long period of time in PTLD sufferers.
This then begs the question, does Lyme disease stay with your forever? Unfortunately, this is difficult to answer. Researchers have still not conclusively identified what causes PTLD, with some studies even concluding that the optimal treatment has yet to be found.
If you experience the symptoms of Lyme disease or PTLD, it’s important to speak with a medical professional about treatment options. If prescribed antibiotics for several months, ask your doctor about the side effects and costs, as this can be dangerous and expensive.
Final Word
Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in the United States, with an estimated 300,000 people contracting the disease each year. If left untreated, the infection can spread, resulting in debilitating symptoms that can last for years.
But does Lyme disease stay with you forever? The jury is still out on this. Many studies have found severe symptoms that last many months or years but have been unable to identify the underlying cause. With lab results showing no presence of the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, most have simply concluded that further research is needed.
If you’ve spent some time in tick-infested areas and experience any symptoms of Lyme disease, speak to your doctor as soon as possible. When caught in the early stages, antibiotics are effective in treating the infection, allowing you to return to your normal life as quickly as possible.
References:
https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/signs_symptoms/index.html
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lyme-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20374651
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/study-shows-evidence-of-severe-and-lingering-symptoms-in-some-after-treatment-for-lyme-disease
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29662016
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25490690
https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/datasurveillance/index.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Flyme%2Fstats%2Findex.html
Comments