Lyme disease and Climate Change

March 11, 2014

Lyme disease and Climate Change-New Findings

Research has found out that Lyme disease is greatly associated with climate change.

Historically, Lyme disease is heavily present in the Northeastern United States due to its moderate climate. The feeding period of these ticks in the northeast is being prolonged due to the extended summer temperatures, allowing more time for uninfected larval ticks to become a carrier of the Lyme disease-causing bacteria. Researchers at Yale University have seen clear implications that as the planet warms, more reports of Lyme disease will be expected in the upper Midwest to match the amount of cases in the upper Northeast.

Lyme disease and Climate Change-Borrelia burgdorferi

Borrelia burgdorferi is the name of the bacteria that causes Lyme disease and the nymphal deer tick is the carrier of this pathogen, contracting it from its blood meal. When a pathogen carrying tick bites, the bacteria enters the bloodstream and the victim becomes infected

Lyme disease and Climate Change-Transportation of Lyme disease

Deer ticks have an average two year life span, with three main life stages larval, nymphal and adult. They obtain one meal consisting of blood during each main life phase in order to survive. If the source of their meal is infected with the Lyme disease-causing bacteria (Borrelia burgdorferi) then it is passed onto the tick. In the tick’s nymphal stage, it passes the infection to its next meal source human or other animal. This feeding cycle is seasonal and innately influenced by climate.

Lyme disease and Climate Change-How Lyme Enters the Food Chain

At the propagation of the larval deer tick is born it is not born as a carrier of the disease. The ticks need to obtain sustenance in order to survive; this nutrition comes in the form of a blood meal which they obtain by sucking the blood of other animals. If the larval tick gets a blood meal from a deer or in a more likely case, a mouse already carrying the disease, the larval tick is then infected with B. burgdorferi.

In order to reach the next phase of the tick’s life, the tick must obtain another blood meal in its nymphal stage, and in the feeding process the tick passes the pathogen on to its meal source, which in some cases is a human. The human will, as a result, become a host for the pathogen. Deer have been the main suspect in being the carrier of the B. burgdorferi, but research shows that this may not be the case because the deer has the ability to flush the disease out of its system. The new suspect is the white-footed mouse, whose body does not entirely dispose of the bacteria.

Lyme disease and Climate Change-What Climate Change means for Lyme disease?

Climate change will have the following effects on Lyme disease: An acceleration of the tick’s developmental cycle, a prolonged developmental cycle, increased egg production, increased population density, and a broader range of risk areas. The ideal habitat for these disease-carrying ticks is one with 85% humidity and a temperature higher than 45°F. The tick finds a suitable microclimate by using its thermo receptors.

Once the larvae have molted into the nymphal stage, the winter forces them to remain dormant until spring. An adult tick no longer needs to hibernate during the winter, so these ticks may become active on warm winter days, yielding a larger nymph population the following year. With an earlier winter thawing, nymphal-staged ticks will become active sooner. The warmer winters will also allow for a higher survival rate of the white-footed mouse, a popular host for the ticks, meaning an increased tick population in the spring and summer.

After discovering how global warming could impact on infectious disease, scientists from Yale University, in collaboration with other institutions, have determined that climate impacts the severity of Lyme disease by influencing the feeding patterns of deer ticks that carry and transmit it.

But, as the Yale team demonstrates, it’s the seasonal cycle of feeding for each stage of the tick’s life that determines the severity of infection in a given region. The researchers found that this cycle is heavily influenced by climate. In the moderate climate of the Northeastern United States, larval deer ticks feed in the late summer, long after the spring feeding of infected nymphs. This long gap between feeding times directly correlates to more cases of Lyme disease reported in the Northeast by the scientists.

When there is a longer gap, the most persistent infections are more likely to survive. These persistent bacterial strains cause more severe disease in humans, leading more people to seek medical attention and resulting in more cases.

But in the Midwest, where there are greater extremes of temperature, there is a shorter window of opportunity for tick feeding, and therefore a shorter gap between nymphal and larval feedings. Due to this, Midwestern wildlife and ticks are infected with less persistent strains, which correlates with fewer cases of Lyme disease reported in the Midwest.

The clear implication of this research is that, as the planet warms, the Upper Midwest could find itself in the same situation as the Northeast: longer gaps between nymphal and larval feeding, and therefore, stronger, more persistent strains of Lyme disease. Other diseases, like malaria, have also been projected to expand in response to climate change, but this is the first study to show how the severity of disease can also be related to climate.

Lyme disease and Climate Change-New Findings

Natural Treatments for Lyme disease

March 5, 2014

Natural Treatments for Lyme disease-An alternative

Don’t be stressed up with Lyme disease, try the natural ways of treatment

When a patient exhibits a certain combination of these presenting symptoms, we automatically assume we’re dealing with Lyme and treat it as such: Persistent swollen glands, sore throat, fevers, chills, sore soles, especially in the morning, joint pain and/or swelling in fingers, toes, ankles, wrists, knees, elbows, hips, shoulders, numbness in the arms and/or legs, unexplained back pain, stiffness of the joints and back, muscle pain and cramps, obvious muscle weakness, twitching of the face or other muscles, confusion, difficulty thinking, difficulty with concentration, focus and reading, problem absorbing new information, searching for words and names, forgetfulness, poor short term memory, poor attention, disorientation: getting lost, going to wrong places, speech errors, such as wrong words or misspeaking, mood swings, irritability, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, psychosis (hallucinations, delusions), paranoia, bipolar, tremor, seizures, headaches, light and sound sensitivity, double, or blurry vision with floaters, ear pain, hearing problems, such as buzzing, ringing or decreased hearing, increased motion sickness, vertigo, spinning, off balance, “tippy” feeling, lightheadedness, wooziness, unavoidable need to sit or lie, fainting, flu-like feeling, tingling, numbness, burning or stabbing sensations, shooting pains, skin hypersensitivity, facial paralysis-Bell’s Palsy, dental pain, TMJ, neck creaks and cracks, stiffness, neck pain, fatigue, tiredness, poor stamina, insomnia, fractionated sleep, early awakening, excessive night time sleep, napping during the day, unexplained weight gain or loss, unexplained hair loss, pain in genital area, unexplained menstrual irregularity or milk production, breast pain, irritable bladder, erectile dysfunction, loss of libido, queasy stomach, nausea, heartburn, stomach pain, constipation, diarrhea, constipation alternating with diarrhea, low abdominal pain, cramps, heart murmur or valve prolapse, heart palpitations or skips, “Heart block” on EKG, chest wall pain or sore ribs, head congestion, breathlessness, “air hunger,” unexplained chronic cough, night sweats, exaggerated symptoms or worse hangover from alcohol, skin rashes, conjunctivitis (pinkeye), herpes, Zoster/Shingles the list is endless.

It is therefore confusing because a Lyme sufferer may not display the telltale rash (erythema migrans), a painless“ bull’s eye” shaped blotch on the skin the size of a silver dollar, or the more diverse larger rash, or any at all. When the rash is present, there is no doubt that a person has Lyme. However, the rash is only present in about 50% of the cases and may take up to 1 month to even appear. To add insult to injury, many Lyme patients don’t even remember getting bitten as the nymph is very small (about the size of a poppy seed) and can easily go unnoticed.

There are mixed opinions about treatments and simply because someone is listed as a Lyme Literate doctor, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they do anything different than the conventional Doctors when it comes to treatment usually it is antibiotics… although, Lyme Literate Doctors may recognize the importance of recommending some of the tests and symptoms involved in the process.

Naturally, there are splits in the orthodox medical community as well as the alternative community, which have led to divergent diagnoses and treatment of Lyme disease, with the real loser being the patient showing Lyme-like symptoms. These patients are often trapped between opposing medical opinions. Indeed, the severity and treatment of Lyme disease is often complicated due to late diagnoses, failure of antibiotic treatment, and immune suppression in the patient (sometimes resulting from inappropriate treatment with steroids

Taking antibiotics alone isn’t a good idea when knocking out this elusive ailment. Many expert healers say Lyme disease treatment should also include botanicals and exercise. Nevertheless Lyme disease is a complicated infection, tough to diagnose and even harder to treat if doctors miss an early diagnosis, which is all too often the case. Lyme disease treatment is tricky because the most popular blood tests used in most doctors’ offices to detect the disease miss about 55 percent of Lyme cases. If and when a patient finally is diagnosed, it’s sometimes by a clinical evaluation of the symptoms, ones that often mimic other ailments like fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, and even Alzheimer’s disease.

Complicating matters even further, the hodge-podge collection of symptoms often waxes and wanes and moves from one bodily system to another, making it even harder for doctors to effectively diagnose and treat. Headaches, migrating pain, bowel problems, uncharacteristic mood swings, panic attacks, and sleep disorders are just a few of the symptoms commonly reported in Lyme patients.

Natural Treatments for Lyme disease-Antibiotics Aren’t Always the Only Answer

While antibiotics and other prescription medicines are certainly helpful in treating the disease and the all-to-common tick-borne co-infections that often hitchhike into your body through a tick bite, experts in natural medicine say there’s also a place for holistic remedies in the treatment and management of Lyme disease, particularly in Lyme patients battling a chronic infection and its side effects. Antibiotics alone may not suffice because Lyme disease is caused by an intracellular spirochete bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi. ”

Intracellular here means that the spirochete gets into the cell and therefore is not always available to the antibiotics. “The cell membrane inadvertently protects the bacteria and shields it from the antibiotics. The bacteria can also hide dormant in the nervous system, among other places, where antibiotic drugs can’t reach them.” The bottom line is that many natural treatments can help heal the body by knocking out the infection and reducing inflammation while also getting an injured immune system back on track. Some of the natural way may include the following.

Natural Treatments for Lyme disease-Natural Ways to Deal with Lyme

Acupuncture: While researchers admit more research is warranted, acupuncture appears to be a promising way to help reduce or eliminate pain brought on by Lyme disease.

Lyme-killing plants: According to the report, herbs like samento, banderol, andrographis, Japanese knotweed/resveratrol, smilax, cat’s claw, and Stephania all target Lyme and related tick-borne infections. Be sure to talk to a doctor knowledgeable in integrative medicine for more info on taking these herbs.

Have tea time: Green tea compounds, along with curcumin, a component of the spice turmeric, are known to reduce oxidative stress and help aid in traditional antibiotic treatment.

Be tested for deficiencies: Zinc, B, and D vitamin deficiencies could slow down Lyme recovery, so be sure to ask your doctor to test for these, and improve your diet or supplement accordingly to bring your numbers up to healthy levels.

Probiotics: Foods may help replenish beneficial bacteria in the gut that are wiped out by antibiotic Lyme disease treatment. Organic yogurt, kefir, and even fermented vegetables are good sources of probiotics.

Exercise: Even small concentrations of oxygen can help destroy Lyme bacteria in the body. Although Lyme typically zaps people’s energy, intense exercise during and after treatment can help keep the disease at bay.

Inflammation annihilators: Natural compounds that ease inflammation, such as curcumin, modified citrus pectin, and Tibetan Herbal Formula. First and foremost, a low-glycemic-index diet is a must because carbohydrates, including sugar, fuel the Lyme germs. This means ditching most processed foods and avoiding any added sugar. “Understanding the person, and actively supporting the person’s general health with emphasis on their immune system, circulation, reduced inflammation, and detoxification can be very helpful

Natural Treatments for Lyme disease-An alternative

Signs and Symptoms of Lyme disease

March 5, 2014

Signs and Symptoms of Lyme disease-Elaborate

the signs and symptoms of Lyme disease may take long to appear but when they come, the form patches on the skin.

The signs and symptoms of Lyme disease vary and usually affect more than one system. The skin, joints and nervous system are affected most often. In some people, the rash may spread to other parts of the body and, several weeks to months after you’ve been infected, you may experience:

Joint pain. You may develop bouts of severe joint pain and swelling. Your knees are especially likely to be affected, but the pain can shift from one joint to another.

Signs and Symptoms of Lyme disease-How Is Lyme disease Transmitted?

Lyme disease is transmitted through a bite from a specific type of tick. The animals that most often carry these insects are white-footed field mice, deer, raccoons, opossums, skunks, weasels, foxes, shrews, moles, chipmunks, squirrels, and horses. The majority of these ticks have been found in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

What are Signs and Symptoms of Lyme disease?

These signs and symptoms may occur within a month after you’ve been infected:

Rash. A small, red bump may appear at the site of the tick bite. This small bump is normal after a tick bite and doesn’t indicate Lyme disease. However, over the next few days, the redness may expand forming a rash in a bull’s–eye pattern, with a red outer ring surrounding a clear area. The rash, called erythema migrans, is one of the hallmarks of Lyme disease. Some people develop this rash at more than one place on their bodies.
Flu-like symptoms. Fever, chills, fatigue, body aches and a headache may accompany the rash.

However in the early stages of Lyme disease, you may experience flu-like symptoms that can include a stiff neck, chills, fever, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, muscle aches, and joint pain. You may also experience a large, expanding skin rash around the area of the tick bite. In more advanced disease, nerve problems and arthritis, especially in the knees, may occur.

Here are some more details:

Erythma migrans: is the telltale rash which occurs in about 70% to 80% of cases and starts as a small red spot that expands over a period of days or weeks, forming a circular, triangular, or oval-shaped rash. Sometimes the rash resembles a bull’s-eye because it appears as a red ring surrounding a central clear area. The rash, which can range in size from that of a dime to the entire width of a person’s back, appears between three days and a few weeks of a tick bite, usually occurring at the site of a bite. As infection spreads, several rashes can appear at different sites on the body.

Erythema migrans is often accompanied by symptoms such as fever, headache, stiff neck, body aches, and fatigue. These flu-like symptoms may resemble those of common viral infections and usually resolve within days or a few weeks.

Arthritis. After several weeks of being infected with Lyme disease, approximately 60% of those people not treated with antibiotics develop recurrent attacks of painful and swollen joints that last a few days to a few months. The arthritis can shift from one joint to another; the knee is most commonly affected and usually one or a few joints are affected at any given time. About 10% to 20% of untreated patients will go on to develop lasting arthritis. The knuckle joints of the hands are only very rarely affected.
Neurological symptoms. Lyme disease can also affect the nervous system, causing symptoms such as stiff neck and severe headache (meningitis), temporary paralysis of facial muscles (Bell’s palsy), numbness, pain or weakness in the limbs, or poor coordination. More subtle changes such as memory loss, difficulty with concentration, and a change in mood or sleeping habits have also been associated with Lyme disease. People with these latter symptoms alone usually don’t have Lyme disease as their cause.

Nervous system abnormalities usually develop several weeks, months, or even years following an untreated infection. These symptoms often last for weeks or months and may recur. These features of Lyme disease usually start to resolve even before antibiotics are started. Patients with neurologic disease usually have a total return to normal function.

Heart problems. Relatively small number of people of about less than one out of 10 Lyme disease patients develops heart problems, such as an irregular, slow heartbeat, which can be signaled by dizziness or shortness of breath. These symptoms rarely last more than a few days or weeks. Such heart abnormalities generally appear several weeks after infection, and usually begin to resolve even before treatment.
Other symptoms. Less commonly, Lyme disease can result in eye inflammation and severe fatigue, although none of these problems is likely to appear without other Lyme disease symptoms being present.

Signs and Symptoms of Lyme disease-When to see a doctor

If you’ve been bitten by a tick and experience symptoms: Only a minority of deer tick bites leads to Lyme disease. The longer the tick remains attached to your skin, the greater your risk of getting the disease. If you think you’ve been bitten and experience signs and symptoms of Lyme disease — particularly if you live in an area where Lyme disease is prevalent — contact your doctor immediately. Treatment for Lyme disease is most effective if begun early.

See your doctor even if the symptoms disappears: it’s important to consult your doctor even if signs and symptoms disappear because the absence of symptoms doesn’t mean the disease is gone. Left untreated, Lyme disease can spread to other parts of your body from several months to years after infection causing arthritis and nervous system problems. Ticks also can transmit other illnesses, such as babesiosis and Colorado tick fever.

Finally Lyme disease imitates a variety of illnesses and its severity can vary from person to person. If you have been bitten by a tick and live in an area known to have Lyme disease, see your doctor right away so that a proper diagnose can be made and treatment started.

Signs and Symptoms of Lyme disease-Elaborate

Prevention of Lyme Disease

March 5, 2014

Prevention of Lyme Disease-It is possible

whatever it take avoid such places and prevent Lyme disease from attacking you and family

As it is always said that prevention is better than cure, it will be very important to take keen interest in the prevention of this problem. The best way to prevent Lyme disease would be to avoid areas where deer ticks live, especially wooded, bushy areas with long grass. You can reduce your risk of getting Lyme disease by taking some simple precautions like:

Wear long pants and long sleeves. When walking in wooded or grassy areas, wear shoes, long pants tucked into your socks, a long-sleeved shirt, a hat and gloves. Try to stick to trails and avoid walking through low bushes and long grass. Keep your dog on a leash.
Use insect repellents. Apply an insect repellent with a 20 percent or higher concentration of DEET to your skin. Parents should apply to their children, avoiding their hands, eyes and mouth. Keep in mind that chemical repellents can be toxic, so follow directions carefully. Apply products with permethrin to clothing or buy pretreated clothing.
Do your best to tick-proof your yard. Clear brush and leaves where ticks live. Keep woodpiles in sunny areas.
Check yourself, your children and your pets for ticks. Be especially vigilant after spending time in wooded or grassy areas. Deer ticks are often no bigger than the head of a pin, so you may not discover them unless you search carefully. It’s helpful to shower as soon as you come indoors. Ticks often remain on your skin for hours before attaching themselves. Showering and using a washcloth may be enough to remove any unattached ticks.
Don’t assume you’re immune. Even if you’ve had Lyme disease before, you can get it again.
Remove a tick as soon as possible with tweezers. Gently grasp the tick near its head or mouth. Don’t squeeze or crush the tick, but pull carefully and steadily. Once you’ve removed the entire tick, dispose of it and apply antiseptic to the bite area.

Prevention of Lyme disease-How to reduce Tick bites

Avoid tick-infested areas, such as leaf litter under trees. Avoid brushing against long grasses and brush on edges of paths. Don’t sit on stumps or fallen logs.

Wear light-colored long pants and long sleeves so you can easily see any ticks.
Tuck shirt into pants and tuck pants into socks.
Use DEET on skin and treat clothing with spray containing permethrin.
Do a thorough tick check upon returning inside and for several days following exposure.
Check bedding for several days following exposure for ticks that drop off.
Ticks, especially nymphal ticks, are tiny. Find and remove them before they bite.

Prevention of Lyme disease-What to do if you are bitten

Use fine-point tweezers or a special tick-removing tool. Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible. If you don’t have tweezers, protect your fingers with a tissue.

Pull the tick straight out with steady, even pressure to view a Tick’s Mouth and why it is so important to pull out the tick correctly.
Avoid squeezing the tick, breaking it, or allowing any blood to remain on your skin.
Place the tick in a small plastic bag or vial with blades of grass, leaf, or moist (not wet) piece of tissue.
Label the bag with your name, date, site of bite and how long tick was attached.
Have the tick identified and tested by a lab, health department or veterinarian.
Wash your hands, disinfect the tweezers and bite site.
Educate yourself about tick-borne diseases and consult a doctor to see if treatment is warranted.

Considerations for Prophylactic (Preventive) Treatment

The tick infection rate in the area where you acquired the tick. An area may still labeled as “no risk” despite lack of scientific studies.
The relative risk of transmission, depending on whether the tick was a nymph or adult, duration of attachment and how it was removed.
Whether the tick tested positive for a tick-borne infection.
The Lyme germs may spread widely in the body, including to the brain, within hours/days.
The cost of prophylactic treatment vs. risk of infection.
The risks and benefits of prophylactic treatment vs. risks of infection.

Other protective ways

Reduce ticks on your property by

pruning trees
clearing brush
removing litter
Mowing grass short, and letting it dry thoroughly between watering.
Move shrubbery and overgrowth farther away from areas frequented by people.

Make your property unattractive to animals that are hosts to ticks by:

Eliminating birdfeeders, birdbaths, and salt licks;
Erecting fencing around the property;
clearing away woodpiles, garbage, and leaf piles;
Removing stonewalls that provide homes to wildlife.
Have your property chemically treated.
You can kill ticks on your property by applying chemicals. Seek professional advice before application. Carefully timed applications increase effectiveness.

Also Consider These Important Facts:

If you tuck pants into socks and shirts into pants, be aware that ticks will climb upward to hidden areas of the head and neck, so spot-check clothes frequently.
Clothes can be sprayed with DEET or treated with permethrin. Follow label instructions carefully.
Upon returning home, clothes can be put in a high temperature dryer for 20 minutes to kill any unseen ticks.
Any contact with vegetation, even playing in the yard, can result in exposure to ticks. Frequent tick checks should be followed by a whole-body examination and tick removal each night. This is the single most effective method for prevention of Lyme disease.

Prevention of Lyme Disease-Safely removal Tick

If you DO find a tick attached to your skin, do not panic. Not all ticks are infected, and your risk of Lyme disease is greatly reduced if the tick is removed within the first 36 hours. To remove a tick, ensure that you:

Use a pair of pointed tweezers to grasp the tick by the head or mouth parts right where they enter the skin. DO NOT grasp the tick by the body.
Pull firmly and steadily outward. DO NOT jerk or twist the tick.
Place the tick in a small container of rubbing alcohol to kill it.
Clean the bite wound with rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide.
Monitor the site of the bite for the next 30 days for the appearance of a rash. If you develop a rash or flu-like symptoms, contact your health care provider immediately. Although not routinely recommended, taking antibiotics within three days after a tick bite may be beneficial for some persons. This would apply to deer tick bites that occurred in areas where Lyme disease is common and there is evidence that the tick fed for more than one day. In cases like this you should discuss the possibilities with your doctor or health care provider.

Prevention of Lyme Disease-It is possible

Lyme disease and Relapse

March 4, 2014

Lyme disease and Relapse-Reinfection versus Relapse

Erythema migrans.

Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne infection in the United States and Europe. Clues to differentiating reinfection from relapse of Lyme disease

During both the initial infection and subsequent episodes, the majority of patients with Lyme disease manifest the distinctive skin lesion erythema migrans. In untreated patients, erythema migrans resolves spontaneously within a median of about twenty eight days, but relapse may occur within a longer period, usually within a year or so of the appearance of the initial lesion. After treatment with presently recommended antibiotic regimens, however, persistence, progression, or recurrence of the skin lesion or the development of objective extra cutaneous manifestations of Lyme disease is exceedingly rare.

Relapse has been well-documented (on the basis of recovery of B. burgdorferi by culture) only in patients treated with antibiotics like cephalexin also known to have poor activity in vitro against this microorganism, although some patients treated with certain macrolides also appear to experience relapse clinically. Thus, the development of a new erythema migrans lesion in a person with a prior history of Lyme disease who was treated with recommended regimens is prima facie evidence for reinfection.

Clinical features that suggest reinfection rather than relapse include the development of an erythema migrans lesion at a site different from that of the original lesion and the presence of a punctum in the lesion. A punctum is a small raised or depressed point near the center of a primary erythema migrans lesion, representing the site from which the tick detached. In the United States, repeat episodes of erythema migrans due to reinfection almost always develop in a subsequent transmission season during the late spring or summer (R.B.N., unpublished data) at the time when nymphal stage (i.e., the stage that is the principal vector for Lyme disease) scapular’s or Ixodes pacificus ticks are most abundant. In Eurasia, reinfection, usually transmitted by nymphal Ixodes ricinus or adult Ixodes persulcatus, is also expected to occur mostly during the late spring or summer. In contrast, cases of relapse of preexisting infection would not necessarily be expected to occur in a seasonal pattern and would be likely to arise within a few weeks to several months after the initial episode.

Lyme disease and Relapse-Differentiating reinfection from relapse

Limited data are available regarding the clinical manifestations of second episodes of erythema migrans in patients with Lyme disease who have reinfection. A recent report described twenty eight patients from Block Island, Rhode Island, who had repeated episodes of erythema migrans and were believed to have been re-infected with B. burgdorferi (five additional persons had only “flu-like illnesses” as either their first or second episode of infection but were considered to have Lyme disease on the basis of seroconversion). None of the patients had clinical evidence of immunodeficiency. Persons with reinfection were equally distributed by sex; however, 6 (86%) of 7 persons who experienced a third episode of Lyme disease were female. This finding is difficult to explain but is consistent with the observations in a recent Swedish study, in which the investigators found that twenty seven of thirty one re-infected persons were women aged 44 years old.

Lyme disease and Relapse-Analysis

As one would predict, nearly all cases of recurrent infection in the Block Island study occurred during the late spring or summer. The number and severity of symptoms were similar in the first and second episodes and appeared to be less severe during the third episode, although these findings were not statistically significant. Surprisingly, all patients with recurrent Lyme disease did not seek medical attention sooner than did those who had only a single episode. That was very interesting.

A preliminary report summarized findings for eleven men and another eleven women with who each experienced two episodes of erythema migrans and were seen at our institution; the episodes occurred a mean (±SD) of 3.25 ± 2.65 years apart. A prior tick bite at the site of erythema migrans was recalled with similar frequency in patients who experienced first and second episodes. Patient symptoms (including fever), diameter of erythema migrans, abnormal findings on physical examination, and laboratory results (complete blood count, transaminase levels, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate) during second episodes were similar to those during first episodes. These findings were also similar to those for contemporaneous control subjects who experienced single episodes of erythema migrans. This study obviously had insufficient power to detect relatively small differences.

In this study, patients were >2 times as likely to have multiple erythema migrans skin lesions (a marker of hematogenous dissemination of B. burgdorferi infection) during their first episode of Lyme disease than during their second episode (7 [32%] patients during the first episode vs. 3 [14%] patients during the second episode; P = .15). Although this finding could be a chance event, alternatively, it could be related to the development of partial host immunity, leading to protection from hematogenous dissemination after reinfection

Lyme disease and Relapse-Reinfection versus Relapse

Category Archives: Flu treatment naturally