Introduction

The human body is too sensitive to handle any infection or inflammation. Many times, the skin develops rashes and pimples that a person tends to avoid without considering the real cause or severity of its development.

Very few people have a habit of bathing or sanitizing their clothes adequately after returning home, spending the entire day out of the house, or cuddling their pets. They meet various people, share different environments and circumstances, without considering the hygiene of the place. Maintaining hygiene is important to avoid germs, bacteria, or parasites from invading the body. One such instance is the invasion of ticks in the human or animal body. The intrusion of ticks in the body may cause many injuries that may not be visible in its initial stage but might cause severe harm in the future. Therefore, knowing about ticks and preventions to avoid the severe repercussion done by its poison is significant for the human race.

What are Ticks?

Ticks are small parasites that survive on blood from hosts such as mammals, birds, reptiles, or amphibians. They pass four life-stages and must consume blood in every phase to survive. They change the host at each life-stage for the intake of blood. There are mainly five types of ticks, some of which embody pathogen that can be transferred to the hosts on which they feed.

People who spend most of their time outdoors or in the wilderness, especially in prime tick habitat, are most likely to get affected by the tick’s bite and develop a tick-borne illness. Animals are also vulnerable to a tick bite; they can bring the tick back home and may put the life of their owner at a greater risk of being bitten and getting infected.

One of the primary diseases that issue facing among the human race caused by ticks is the Lyme disease.

What is Lyme Disease?

The bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi gets transmitted to the human body after being bitten by a tick, especially the black-legged tick. After the transmission of bacteria, the disease caused by the infection is known as Lyme disease. Another name of black-legged tick is deer tick.

Lyme disease is most prominent in Europe and the United States.

Note: The tick has to be present on the skin at least for 36 hours to transmit the infection.

What are the Symptoms of Lyme Disease?

It is difficult to recognize the symptoms of Lyme disease at its initial stage. Also, the skin type of the host plays a vital role in determining the symptoms. Therefore, some of the symptoms of Lyme disease are:

1) Small red mark that expands for several days and reaches up to 12 inches of diameter. The red marks appear like a bull eye. The marks may develop all over the body, which mostly depends on the spread of the bacteria. In many cases, these marks are not visible, depending on skin colour and type. Generally, the red marks do not develop any pain or irritation but may feel warm at the touch.

2) Fever

3) Fatigue

4) Nerve pain

5) Neck Stiffens

6) Swollen lymph nodes

What are the Treatment and Medications for Lyme Disease?

In most cases, the symptoms of Lyme disease disappear very soon and do not call for any medical assistance. But in severe cases, a person may require doctors’ help. Proper treatment in its initial stage may save the patient from severe repercussions.

The concerned doctor will diagnose the symptoms and the affected area by conducting a few blood tests to detect the antibodies present in the blood. The blood tests include:

1) ELISA: An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test

2) Western Blot test

3) PCR: Polymerase chain reaction test

Oral Antibiotics, Intravenous Antibiotics, and Bismacine (Chromatin) injections are the primary medications that are used as a part of treatment for Lyme disease. These help in relieving the pain and irritation of the patient. However, the patient may take a year to two to fully recover. These medications are available in all retail and online pharmacies in India. 

People who do not receive the right treatment on-time may develop recurrent episodes of arthritis with swelling in the larger joints. 

Conclusion:

Lyme disease may silently harm the person if the symptoms are not recognized on-time. However, the real cause of the disease is tick bite, which is sometimes not possible to avoid, as people cannot notice it all the time with their naked eyes. Therefore, if people concentrate more on prevention options like covering the body parts, inspecting pets, using insect repellents, and removing the tick, it may provide a great benefit to health and life.