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Lyme Disease FAQLyme Disease InfoQ: What is Lyme disease? A: Lyme disease is an infectious bacterial disease spread by deer ticks, or blacklegged ticks. Q: What causes Lyme disease? A: The bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi (B. burgdorferi). Q: How is Lyme disease spread? A: When a young tick feeds on an infected animal, the bacteria enter its digestive system. When the tick feeds on other animals or humans, the bacteria is transmitted into their bloodstreams and infection begins. Q: How many people a year get Lyme disease? A: On average, there are about fifteen thousand cases of Lyme disease a year, but the numbers are rising. The Center for Disease Control reports almost twenty thousand cases in 2004. It calculates that there were 6.7 cases per hundred thousand people nationwide, but 27.4 cases per hundred thousand people in areas where the disease is most common. That means there were almost twice as many reported cases in 2004 as in 1992. Q: What parts of the world have Lyme disease? A: Lyme disease is found in North America, Europe, some parts of Asia, and Australia. In the United States, Lyme disease is most common in the Northeast, upper Midwest, and the Pacific Northwest. In 2004, New York state, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin had the most reported cases of Lyme disease. Q: What are the symptoms of Lyme disease? A: The first symptom is the erythema migrans (EM) rash which appears three to thirty days after the initial infection. This red expanding rash may resemble a bull's eye, does not itch, and is seldom painful. EM rashes are the best early indicators of Lyme disease as other early symptoms (headache, fever, joint and muscle pain, and severe fatigue) are flu-like and may not be immediately diagnosable. Later symptoms are much more severe. Sixty percent experience arthritis or chronic joint swelling, especially in larger joints such as the knee. Smaller numbers may experience peripheral nervous disorders such as palsy or numbness or an irregular heart beat. Q: Is Lyme disease easily diagnosed? A: Yes. In the early stages, the EM rash is a definitive symptom. Blood work is unreliable at this stage of the disease but is not needed for a confident diagnosis. Blood work, however, is required for diagnosis in later stages when symptoms may be easily confused with other illnesses. Tests of other bodily fluids, such as urine, are unreliable. Q: How is Lyme disease treated? A: Most cases are easily treated with oral antibiotics, especially if treatment occurs soon after the initial infection. Most patients respond to treatment in two to four weeks. More advanced cases may require intravenous antibiotics as well, but even advanced cases are successfully cured with just antibiotics. Q: Can someone get Lyme disease from an infected person? A: No. There are no documented cases of transmission by physical or sexual contact with another person. While it is theoretically possible for infection through blood transfusions, blood is always screened for Lyme disease. While congenital Lyme disease exists, it is short-lived and easily treated with antibiotics with minimal risk to the fetus. Filed under: Lyme Disease FAQ |
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