Lyme, the Silent Killer Essay Example for Free

Lyme, the Silent Killer EssayLyme unsoundness is disease transmitted by the cervid tick in addition known as the black legged tick. It is caused by an infection called Borrelia Burgdorferi which is a reference of bacterium called a spirochete. The deer tick kitty transmit the spirochetes to humans and other animals causing them to choke infected with Lyme disease. Lyme disease prototypic begins as a multi system inflammatory disease which first attacks the scramble in the locate stage, then spreads to the joints the nervous system and other organ systems. If the Lyme disease is diagnosed early it digest be treated with antibiotics, but it does depend on the progression of the diseases among the patient. Often the tick must be attached to your body for 24 36 hours to spread the bacteria to your blood. The spirochete is injected from the victims struggle into the bloodstream establishing itself in various body tissues.After an incubation period of 3 to 32 days, the orga nism migrates issueward in the skin, is spread through the lymphatic system or is disseminated by the blood to different body organs or other skin sites. Lyme disease was first described in 1909 in European aesculapian journals. The first outbreak in the get together States occurred in the early 1970s in Old Lyme, Connecticut. An unusually high incidence of juvenile arthritis in the area led scientists to investigate and identify the disorder. In 1981, Dr. Willy Burgdorfer set the bacterial spirochete organism (Borrelia Burgdorferi) which causes this disorder.Lyme disease is known to be the number one arthropod disease is the United States occurring in 48 of the 50 states and up to 12,000 cases of Lyme disease diagnosed annually. Lyme disease is has three stages which are early localized disease with skin inflammation, early disseminated disease with meaning and nervous system involvement, including palsies and meningitis, and the last stage of the disease called later dissemi nated which causes motor and sensory nerve damage and brain inflammation as well arthritis.The first stage is called Localized Lyme disease and in this early phase of the illness, within days to weeks of the tick bite, the skin around the bite develops an expanding ring of unraised fervor. There may be an outer ring of brighter redness and a central area of clearing, leading to a bulls-eye appearance, the rash also has a warm to key signature feeling .The first rash seen on the patient is called erythema migrans. The redness of the skin is often accompanied by flu-like symptoms which may include fever, chills, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, swollen lymph nodes and headache. Sometimes these more serious symptoms develop without the psyche ever having had a rash. The redness resolves, without sermon, in about a month. Weeks to months after the initial redness of the skin, the bacteria spread throughout the body and can begin affecting the joints, heart, and nervous system. The la ter phases of Lyme disease can affect the heart, and cause inflammation of the heart muscle.This can result in abnormal heart rhythms and heart failure. The nervous system can develop facial muscle paralysis also known as Bells palsy, abnormal sensation due to disease of encircling(prenominal) nerves which is also known as peripheral neuropathy, meningitis, and confusion. Arthritis, or inflammation in the joints, begins with swelling, stiffness, and pain. Usually, only one or a few joints bring into being affected, more or less commonly the knees. The arthritis of Lyme disease can look like many other types of inflammatory arthritis and can become chronic. Lyme disease occurs in wooded areas with populations of mice and deer which carry ticks, and can be contracted during any pacify of the year.The medication used for adults with Lyme disease the antibiotic tetracycline is the drug of choice. Penicillin V and erythromycin suck up also been used in children. Penicillin V is now recommended for neurological abnormalities. It is not yet clear whether antibiotic treatment is helpful later in the illness when arthritis is the most predominant symptom. Treatment should be started as briefly as the rash appears. A clear diagnosis of Lyme disease can be tricky, and often relies on information the patient and through process of elimination the Doctor will be able to out rule other conditions.Lyme disease and its symptoms often mimic many other diseases which target multi body systems such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Multiple Sclerosis. Doctors will perform a specific blood see called Enzyme Linked Immunoabsorbent Assay (ELISA) which can detect antibodies present of Lyme disease. Results of this test may be inaccurate if patients have had antibiotics soon after contracting Lyme disease, or in those who have weakened immune systems.SOURCES1.American Lyme disease foundation. (2006, April). Retrieved from http//www.aldf.com/lyme.shtml 2.American College of Phys icians. (2012). Lyme disease- A patients guide. Retrieved from