If you are out and about in summer, you risk a tick bite. Not everyone is a Lyme disease infection. Affected people should see a doctor for this redness.
Bremen - Even if you have not noticed a tick, you should go to the doctor after an insect bite if a blush appears. It indicates a Lyme disease infection. "The blush looks like a target," explains Hans Michael Mühlenfeld from the General Practitioners' Association. In technical jargon, it is also called erythema migrans.
Blushing after a tick bite can indicate Lyme disease infection
The skin around the puncture site is pale and the redness spreads around this small, bright field. " 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. In addition, the mostly ring-shaped reddening can migrate to other parts of the body even weeks later and become visible there.
Read here how you can immediately recognize a Lyme disease infection .
If you notice such redness, you should go to your family doctor. Regardless of whether the patient remembers a tick bite, the doctor will prescribe an antibiotic. "If this is taken according to the instructions, it effectively fights the infection," said Mühlenfeld. However, a blush precedes an infection in only half of the cases . It also does not cause itching or pain.
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If the blushing starts, start antibiotic treatment immediately
If left untreated, a Lyme infection can later attack the nerves and cause various symptoms. The first signs of tick-borne inflammation often appear no earlier than seven days after a tick bite. It is therefore absolutely necessary to treat an infection with antibiotics in good time , emphasizes Mühlenfeld.
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According to the medical portal biological medicine, the following medicines are recommended for adults :
- Doxycycling (2-3 x 100 milligrams)
- Amoxicillin (3 x 750 - 4 times 1,000 mg / 20 days)
- Cefuroximaxetil (2-3 x 500 mg / 20 days)
- Azithromycin (500mg / 10 days)
In contrast, in children is administered:
- Amoxicillin (3-4 times a day 15 mg / kg body weight)
- Cefuroximaxetil (2-3 x daily 6 mg / kg body weight)
- Azithromycin (1 x 6 mg / kg body weight daily)
For pregnant women :
- Amoxicillin (3 x 750 - 4 times 1,000 mg / 20 days)
- Cefuroximaxetil (2-3 x 500 mg / 20 days)
Tick bites do not always result in Lyme disease
However, not every tick bite causes a Lyme disease infection. It is estimated that only every tenth tick bite develops into Lyme disease . According to Mühlenfeld, it helps to compare reddening after an insect bite or bite with pictures of the blush on the Internet. "You can tell by yourself whether you could be affected."
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Also interesting : That's why you should see a doctor immediately if a tick bite is itchy.
jp / dpa
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