Tick bites can be dangerous - at the latest when they spread to Lyme disease. Read here how you can quickly recognize the infection.
Update of January 9, 2020 : Canadian singer Justin Bieber has announced on Instagram that he has Lyme disease. In his Instagram post, the 25-year-old wrote that speculation about him that his bad looks would be related to his drug use was not true, and that Lyme infection and Piper's glandular fever were responsible for his poor skin and lack of energy. Bieber would now like to provide information about Lyme disease in a documentary. He would have had a few hard years behind him, but would now get the right treatment with which he would survive this "incurable disease", as the editorial network Germany reported.
Article from May 21, 2019 : The insidious bloodsuckers often lurk in forests and high meadows and wait for their hosts. This also includes people. However, ticks usually come out of their hiding places at temperatures above eight degrees Celsius. If a person is bitten by a tick, an infection usually follows. But in many cases there are no symptoms or a so-called Lyme disease.
Only every tenth tick bite is estimated to develop into a full-blown Lyme disease. However, if you are wondering after a tick bite how you can quickly diagnose the disease, the editors will clarify.
What is Lyme Disease?
It is the most common disease that can be spread by ticks . The name is derived from bacteria in the ticks, the borrelia , which are transmitted to the host or humans by a tick bite. Finally, they spread throughout the body via the bloodstream.
In addition, the connection between inflammatory joint diseases in children and tick bites was noticed for the first time in the towns of Lyme and Old-Lyme in the US state of Connecticut.
Read here how you can protect yourself against TBE viruses with a vaccination .
Basically, Lyme disease occurs in three phases , although not all of them have to be followed one after the other. Some stages may feel heavier or milder, or they appear in a different order.
In addition, the symptoms that sufferers experience in the individual phases are very different. In addition, the mostly unspecific complaints can also indicate other diseases. A selection:
- fatigue
- night sweats
- fever
- Joint and muscle pain
- a headache
- chills
- anorexia
- lymphadenopathy
- Conjunctivitis
Video: Expert knowledge about ticks
Lyme disease: stage I
The most typical symptom of Lyme disease, however, is the so-called wandering redness (erythema migrans). This is an annular reddening around the area of the bite . On the other hand, the skin around the puncture site is pale. "The blush looks like a target," explains Hans Michael Mühlenfeld from the General Practitioners' Association.
Read all about the redness after the tick bite - and why you should see a doctor right away .
If not treated, the redness can spread increasingly. "It occurs about three to four days after the bite and stays for about two to three weeks ." During this time, the redness increases by about three millimeters every day.
It is also possible that the blush migrates to other parts of the body for weeks after the tick bite and appears there.
But be careful: the erythema migrans should not be confused with the reddening directly around the injection site. This is only one to two centimeters in size, and the skin there is swollen, often hot and very itchy. In addition, those affected do not feel fever pain or the like. It is usually harmless and disappears after a few days.
Also interesting : That's why you should see a doctor immediately if a tick bite is itchy .
Lyme disease: stage II
After the initial symptoms, the first flu symptoms appear a few weeks to months after the tick bite. In addition, the disease is now attacking other organs, among others
- brain
- heart
- eyes
- skin
When the brain and nervous system are affected, one speaks of neuroborreliosis . This ignites the brain and the meninges as well as the spinal cord and peripheral nerves.
Learn everything about meningitis here - symptoms, causes and treatment .
Symptoms are:
- neuralgia
- Paralysis (e.g. facial nerves)
- motor failures
However, the middle eye skin and the heart can also be affected by Lyme disease. The result: an inflammation of the heart muscle and pericardium as well as cardiac arrhythmia . In contrast, skin changes at this stage are less common. However, the so-called lymphadenosis cutis benigna is known . The skin swells and there are numerous red-blue spots that look like bruises. These can grow up to several centimeters. Earlobes, nipples and or scrotum are most commonly affected.
Lyme disease: stage III
The third stage is usually very difficult and the disease can have long-term long-term consequences . Even months to years later after the tick bite, sufferers complain of chronic joint inflammation (Lyme arthritis) that occurs in episodes. Only one or more joints can be affected, but mostly the knee joints.
In addition, the skin on the hands and feet gradually becomes thinner and turns bluish. Finally, the nerves are also further damaged ( chronic neuroborreliosis ), which is why even partial paralysis of entire parts of the body can occur.
Cases of epilepsy and organic psychosyndrome have also been reported . The latter should have the following symptoms:
- lack of concentration
- Disturbances of consciousness
- hallucinations
Read also : How to remove ticks properly.
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Please note: the information in this article is NOT a substitute for a doctor's visit. If you have any complaints, you should always see your family doctor to rule out possible risks .
Source: www.rnd.de
jp
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