Lyme Disease:

By: Maya Reed

What is it:

Lyme disease is a bacterial disease caused by the bacterium Borrelia Burgdorferi. The Bacteria

are most commonly carried by Deer/ Blacklegged ticks. For Lyme disease to be transferred, it

has to be from tick to person, it takes about 36-48 hours for the tick to remain on the skin for the

disease to transfer. It cannot be transferred by breastfeeding, sexually transmitted, or blood

transfusion. The tick becomes infected by feeding on deer, birds, and rodent the bacteria. People

who work in natural environments, are regularly in outdoor areas, or have pets are the most at

risk for obtaining Lyme.

History:

The disease is named after the place of first suspected human contact with this disease. In Old

Lyme, Connecticut in 1975, a group of adults and children suffered from symptoms of swollen

knees, paralysis, skin rashes, headaches, and severe chronic fatigue. Two women in the area

started collecting notes, conducting research, and contacting scientists. They had gone through

the possibilities of it being caused by water or germs in the air. By cross-examining the notes,

they have noticed that patients have reported being bit by ticks in the region of Lyme. In 1980, a

scientist named Willy Burgdorfer discovered the spirochete bacteria. In honor of the discovery,

the bacterium was named after him as Borrelia Burgdorferi. A Lyme disease vaccine became

available in 1997 however was pulled from the market in 2001. (CT. Gov)

Symptoms:
Lyme disease symptoms have a broad variety of things they effect, some can be long term while

others only last a few days. Symptoms can include flat circular rash that is in a bullseyes shape,

fatigue, muscle aches, fever, loss of taste and smell, joint pain and swelling, headaches, swollen

lymph nodes.

Symptoms in children are slightly different as they include flu-like symptoms and psychological

issues. These psychological issues are associated with aggression, intense mood swings,

depression, and repeated night terrors. (Healthline)

Stages of Lyme Disease:

There are three most recognized stages of Lyme disease, early localized, early disseminated, and

late disseminated. Some symptoms overlap with other stages and people can be in the secondary

stages without having any symptoms from the first. (Healthline)

Stage 1: Early Localized – Symptoms start within 3-30 days after a bite from the tick. A rash can

occur known as Erythema Migrans, a bullseye rash. People who have light-coloured skin have a

solid red rash while people with dark-coloured skin can have a rash that resembles a bruise.

Symptoms of this stage can include, chills, fever, enlarged lymph nodes, sore throat, fatigue,

vision changes, muscle aches, and headaches.

Stage 2: Early Disseminated – Symptoms or any indications of Lyme disease happen months

after the tick bite. They have a general unwell feeling throughout the whole body as well as a

rash, this is caused by the infection spreading. Symptoms of this stage include most from stage 1

but also include multiple erythema lesions and disturbances in heart rhythm. Neurological

conditions like tingling, numbness, facial + cranial nerve palsies, and meningitis. (GrepMed)

Stage 3: Late Disseminated – At this stage, many or all symptoms are similar to arthritis, and it is

common to be diagnosed with it instead of Lyme. Side effects include fatigue, memory
impairment, psychiatric disturbance, and chronic Lyme arthritis. Symptoms are hair loss,

seizures, stiffness, twitching, vision problems, hearing problems, dental problems, nerve

problems, and bladder issues. These symptoms can be long-lasting and affect your quality of life.

(Mexico, L)

Diagnosis of Lyme:

After someone has noticed a tick bite or tick present than has a bullseye rash present a visit to the

doctor should be made. When testing for Lyme disease testing during the first stage, localized

infection, it usually is not done. This is because the antibodies that are tested are not present yet,

usually people are given antibiotics to see if that solves the issue. Blood tests are the most

reliable a few weeks after the first infection because antibodies are more present. The enzyme-

linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is used to detect antibodies against spirochete bacteria.

The western blot is used to confirm the ELISA test, as it checks antibodies for specific B.

Burgdorferi proteins. Both the tests are run because they can both produce false negatives and

doing both it is ensuring that the patient does not have Lyme disease. Polymerase chain reaction

test (PCR) is used for evaluating patients who are experiencing persistent Lyme arthritis or

nervous system symptoms. The test is done by taking a needle and inserting it into a joint or

spine to extract joint/ cerebrospinal fluid, then running the test for antibodies. The PCR test is not

recommended unless necessary because of low sensitivity and a negative does not rule out the

disease. (Ldoadmin)

Treatment:

Lyme disease can easily be treated with antibiotics, later stages may require other treatments to

aid the long-term symptoms. Doxycycline, Amoxicillin, and Cefuroxime are commonly used for

adults and children, if being treated in the early localized or early disseminated stage 10-14 days
of antibiotics are typically given. Doxycycline is not used in the treatment of people who are

breastfeeding. Intravenous antibiotics are used for patients who have cardiac, or central nervous

system effects. (CanLyme)

Avoiding Lyme:

Lyme disease is a preventable disease when you take the right precautions. Avoid densely

wooded areas, and long grassy fields, from May to October. If you cannot avoid these areas then

wear brightly coloured long pants, and closed-toe shoes, making sure all long hair is properly

secured. Brightly coloured clothing helps because it is easier to spot if ticks may be on them. If

you have pets thoroughly check them for ticks and check yourself after being outdoors. When

inside shower as soon as possible to remove any unattached ticks. To kill ticks that might be

attached to clothing throw them in the dryer for 10 minutes on high heat. (Canada Gov)

Post Lyme Disease:

After being treated some individuals, will still experience symptoms and effects. These

individuals are suffering from late or chronic Lyme. The effects can be life-lasting, some may

become less severe with treatments. Roughly around 10-20% of people that are treated for Lyme

disease experience post Lyme symptoms. It can affect mobility and cognitive abilities; it can take

months to years to gain these abilities back. Symptoms of chronic Lyme disease include arthritis

symptoms, fatigue, insomnia, difficulty concentrating/ remembering, speech problems, and even

trouble hearing.

Living with Lyme:

Supermodel, Bella Hadid, is living with Lyme disease, she was diagnosed when she was 16 years

old. During her childhood, they grew up on a horse ranch where they were regularly in the

pasture, in the long grass. Starting at 14, Bella was suffering from joint pain, muscle cramps, and
numbness that was making her unable to ride horses. She had to give up her lifelong dream of

Olympic horseback riding because the symptoms she experienced affected her ability to ride. She

continues to suffer from the arthritis effects of Lyme disease now, as well as others, which affect

her daily activities. She says that once she was not able to get up for 6 days because of the pain

that she was in. Her memory was affected so severely that she had to stop driving, she stated in

an interview with evening standard magazine, "I was exhausted all the time. It affected my

memory so I suddenly wouldn't remember how to drive to Santa Monica from Malibu where I

lived." Chronic Lyme and its symptoms can affect the life quality of the inflicted, yet the CDC

does not recognize it as a disease. Bella Hadid is a 25-year-old who appears to be the picture of

health, she often refers to the disease as an invisible illness. An invisible illness is what it is,

there are no physical indicators that someone is suffering from it. Overall people who suffer from

chronic Lyme have no cure, simply treatments to manage the symptoms. (Gillespie, C)

Bill Macintosh is a 65-year-old, who works in commercial landscaping in Pickering, Ontario. In

early 2021 he had extremely bad joint problems and was constantly complaining of headaches.

He went to the hospital after 2 months of complaints about his problems when he collapsed

going up the stairs. After 6 weeks of testing, they finally ruled what he was suffering from to be

Lyme. He went on 28 days of antibiotic treatment because they suspected he got a tick bite 3

months prior to the diagnosis. About 3 months later he was complaining of constant ear ringing

and joint swelling, he was told he was 50% deaf in both ears even though before he had gotten

Lyme disease, he had perfect hearing. The doctor made the connection between post Lyme

disease and the symptoms he is facing now, there is no cure except having treatments to make

the symptoms less severe. He now has hearing aids and is taking arthritis medication to stop the

side effects. His family has also noticed recently that he has been forgetting basic short-term
things like not remembering his FOB for his car or leaving his wife at home and other locations.

Chronic Lyme affects small aspects of his life and is now dealing with this for the rest of his life.

(Reed, M)

Overview:

Lyme disease is a preventable disease that not only affects them at the time of infection but also

long-term. Side effects of this disease are still unknown and post-Lyme has no cure. Lyme

disease is on the rise and everyone no matter age, gender, or race is at risk if they live in North

America.

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