In 1975 a group of mothers in Lyme, Connecticut started to become concerned. One after another, children began to exhibit signs of rheumatoid arthritis, a disease rare in children. Researchers, noting the geographical coincidence, soon identified the cause and by 1977 over 51 new cases of Lyme Disease had been identified.
Since those children were diagnosed, the incidence of Lyme disease has grown every year. Transmitted by the bite of the deer tick, Lyme disease is found all over the United States but mostly in the Northeast and the states bordering the upper Atlantic coast. Spotting the deer tick is difficult due to their brown color and small size. They are generally around the size of the head of a pin and can be easily overlooked on the skin.
If you are outside a lot during the warm summer months, you are much more likely to be exposed to Lyme disease carrying deer ticks. Walking through tall grass and low bushes can easily brush off a deer tick for golfers and hikers. Deer ticks will generally bite deer, birds and mice but any warm blooded animal will do.
Because the symptoms of Lyme disease are similar to the flu, it can often lead to the wrong diagnosis and this is one of the reasons why it took so long for medical researchers to realize that it was a distinctly separate disease. In the early weeks after infection, flu-like symptoms such as muscle aches, fever and chills are all common. One tell-tale symptom in most, but not all, victims is a red rash shaped like a bulls-eye around the tick bite.
After the early symptoms have gone away the following weeks will usually include painful, swollen joints that can last as long as a few months. If not treated with antibiotics during this time, Lyme disease can cause much more serious problems like central nervous system damage and problems with the brain and the heart.
If Lyme disease is left untreated some of the symptoms can cause permanent damage and can be much harder to treat. Nerve and heart damage can lead to problems with speech. Damage to the joints and muscles can severely limit the patients mobility to the point where even getting out of bed becomes difficult.
After you come in from a day outside golfing, hiking or gardening try to make it a habit to check yourself over in a mirror. If you are bitten by a deer tick, it's important to remove the tick as soon as possible. Luckily, only a small percentage of ticks are carriers of the bacteria so even if you are bitten, that doesn't mean that you have become infected. The tick must be attached for at least 24 hours for the bacteria to be transmitted so, removing the tick sooner is better than later. Lyme disease can be easily detected with a simple blood test so if you have been bitten and are experiencing flu symptoms, contact your doctor at once.
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