Infectious and painful, Lyme is a dreadful disease triggered by the bites of ticks that are infected carrying the bacteria Borrelia Burgdorferi. For the whole body expansion of the bacteria, the tick must be located on a person’s body for about 36-48 hours. Most cases are seen during summer and hot spring seasons, and the condition is vastly prominent in the Northeast region of the United States. The disease is most common among young children between the age of 5 – 10, and adults between 25 – 45. The risk of Lyme is elevated near tropical and grassy regions, prolonged endeavors in the region without considerable protection would result in the occurrence of the disease.
The problem is quite massive in America, with over 30,000 new cases getting reported every year. Lyme disease is a serious and grave health condition that is a ticking time bomb for the US civilization, the massive problem should not be combined with ignorance and oversight. Proper healthcare facilities and the establishment of mass treatment centers of the cure of thousands of people in the Northeast region is an imperative need of the hour.
We have prepared a list of the ten most common Lyme disease symptoms for the patients to instantly recognize the condition while also taking proper medical treatment in-time before things get worse.
Symptom 1: Dry skin and rashes
The most common symptom of Lyme disease, the initial Lyme disease detection approach is driven by noting the appearances of Erythema migraines. Over 70% of the patients suffer from Erythema within the first few days of the tick bite. The area of the bite completely affected by a skin rash with a considerable amount of redness surrounding the bite point. Even though the rash does not translate into any kind of pain or itch, the patient might feel a sensation of warmth before the ultimate development of the skin rash.
Symptom 2: Episodes of fever
An infectious disease is most commonly followed by fever, sometimes the fever might be experienced ever before the skin rash, and due to this premature occurring of fever, the diagnoses can be confused with flu. Almost 50% of the patient experience flu after a few days of the initial bite and the fever is mostly mild.
Symptom 3: Joint pains
Not only fever or skin, but the initial stages of Lyme disease are also followed by a severe case of joint pains and other flu-like symptoms. The situation can get much worse as the disease develops, and the passing of several weeks can also translate into inflammatory sensation and unbearable pain in the different joints of the body which can shift from one joint group to another. Lyme can also orchestrate lethal conditions like arthritis and the inflammation can affect the overall movement of the ankle, knee, or wrist. In seldom cases, the pain does not flow with an inflammation sensation and it can occur singularly with the equal occurrence of skin rashes.
Symptom 4: Fatigue or lethargy
Lyme disease is directly associated with the constant feeling of drowsiness and lethargy. Fatigue is a non-specific symptom that is not exclusively related to Lyme disease. The symptom can occur with a combination of other debilitating conditions like insomnia, depression, and pain. Most of these symptoms fall under the post-treatment condition of Lyme disease syndrome. Even though there is no accurate and credible research on the causes, however, prolong exposure to bacteria’s presence can cause chronic infection which consequently triggers these kinds of symptoms.
Symptom 5: Frequent headaches
Another non-specific symptom that is not exclusively related to Lyme, headaches can be extremely discomforting and their frequent occurring can dig deep holes in the daily plan of an individual’s life. Medical treatment is imperative under chronic and frequent cases of headaches.
Symptom 6: Sleep deprivation
Extremely common in Lyme patients, the unbearable joint pains can effectively make the patient lose all their sleep while still feeling irritated, confused and lethargic due to the constant tiredness of the body Both children and adults experience episodes of insomnia and chills while sleeping which is made worse by the painful tingling in the joint being triggered by the Lyme disease.
Symptom 7: Defected vision
Lyme disease can acutely damage your vision by paving way for numerous complications like blurred vision, cornea inflammation and can also lead to a black eye. The disease is also associated with causing interference to the optimal functioning of the brain by damaging neurological manifestations and causing malfunctions in the nervous system by contributing to the development of conditions like meningitis or central nervous system inflammation.
Symptom 8: Severe heart conditions
Lyme also affects the functioning of the heart tissues by causing expanded inflammation that interferes with the electrical activity of the organ. The condition is combined with various symptoms like dizziness, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and palpitations. The disease can also orchestrate blockage in the heart while also affecting the balanced rhythms of the heartbeats.
Symptom 9: Affected mental health
Lyme disease can debauch the mental capabilities of the body by causing problems which makes you lose focus and concentration. The brain is steered towards a point where the individual experiences grave discomfort in trying to put their mind focused on an important activity. Significant loss of focus partnered with confused mental state results in extremely unpleasant decision making that can wreak havoc in the professional as well as the personal life of the individual. The symptoms of malfunctioning mental health keep appearing years after the initial day of the infection and proper treatment and therapy should be followed until the regaining of lost mental abilities is not achieved.
Symptom 10: Mood swings
Even though Lyme disease causes unrepairable damage to your physical posture and skin, the destruction does not stay restricted to the physical characteristics as the disease also causes severe mental malfunctions. The person feels frequent episodes of extreme irritability, anger, and immense anxiousness. Mood changes are mostly laughed off, however mental health is an important feature of the existence and it should not be overlooked.