Home > Lyme disease

first observed in and around Lyme, Connecticut in 1977.

1 Cause

It is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi , which is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected ticks.

2 Vector

The most common vector is the deer tick, but other ticks are capable of transmitting Lyme disease. The deer tick can be found on most continents and is particularly common in North-Eastern North America, the Rocky Mountains, the European Alps, temperate parts of Asia and Japan. There is some anecdotal, largely unconfirmed evidence of sexual-transmission and transmission via contaminated blood-supply.

3 Symptoms

3.1 Acute (early) symptoms

• "bull's-eye" rash (erythema migrans - a circle or ring of inflamed skin surrounding the initial tick bite)
• fever
• malaise
• fatigue
• headache
• muscleskeletal muscle Muscle is one of the four tissue types. The other three types are: epithelium, connective tissue and nervous tissue. The primary purpose of muscle tissue is to contract. Muscle contraction is used to move parts of the body, as well as to m and joint aches

The incubation periodIncubation period is the time elapsed between exposure to a pathogenic organism and when symptoms and signs are first apparent. The period may be as short as minutes, to as long as thirty years in the case of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. A person ma from infectionInfection" is also the title of an episode of the television series Babylon 5; see Infection (Babylon 5). An infection is the detrimental colonization of a host organism by a foreign species. The colonizing organism interferes with the normal functioning to the onset of symptoms is usually 1-2 weeks, but can be as long as one month. However, it is possible for an infected person to display no symptoms, or display only one or two symptoms, which can make diagnosisDiagnosis is the process of identifying a disease by its signs, symptoms and results of various diagnostic procedures. The conclusion reached through that process is also called a diagnosis. Typically, someone with abnormal symptoms will consult a physici difficult.

3.2 Chronic (late) symptoms

• meningitisMeningitis is inflammation of the membranes ( meninges) covering the brain and the spinal cord. Although the most common causes are infection (either bacterial or viral), chemical agents and even tumor cells may cause meningitis. Encephalitis and brain ab
• numbness, tingling, burning
• muscleskeletal muscle Muscle is one of the four tissue types. The other three types are: epithelium, connective tissue and nervous tissue. The primary purpose of muscle tissue is to contract. Muscle contraction is used to move parts of the body, as well as to m and joint aches
• tremorTremor is the shaking movement of the whole body or just a certain part of it, caused by problems of the neurons responsible from muscle action. Tremor may occur as an isolated symptom and usually of unknown cause ( essential tremor) or a part of the symp, twitches
• Bell's palsyBell's palsy (facial palsy) is characterised by facial drooping due to malfunction of the facial nerve (VII cranial nerve), which controls the muscles of the face. Named after Scottish anatomist Charles Bell, who first described it, Bell's palsy is the mo
• pain
• myalgiaMyalgia means " muscle pain" and is a symptom of many diseases and disorders. Most viral infections will result in myalgia of varying severity which normally resolves on resolution of the infection.
• fatigue
• hallucinations
• short-term memory loss

The late symptoms of Lyme disease can appear months to years from infection. Left untreated, Lyme disease can cause chronic disability, but is rarely fatal. Chronic cases have been known to linger for 19 years before a definitive diagnosis.