Borreliosis (Lyme disease) - treatment and prevention, symptoms

Lyme disease (borreliosis) – treatment and consequences

Borreliosis is an infectious disease characterized by numerous and diverse symptoms. The disease is a consequence of the bite of the Ixodes tick, which is most active in the summer. Moreover, infection can occur not only during an insect bite, but also after it is crushed on the skin.

Symptoms of the disease

Symptoms of tick-borne borreliosis in humans (manifested primarily at the site of the bite or crushing of the insect):

• redness of the skin;
• enlargement of the spot;
• itching, burning and swelling at the site of infection.

In some cases, dermatological signs are absent, but symptoms of intoxication of the body are clearly visible – joint pain, severe weakness, nausea, turning into vomiting, dizziness, headache, enlarged lymph nodes (selectively, near the site of infection).

If the signs of borreliosis in children or adults were quickly differentiated and timely medical care was sought, then competent therapy can achieve a quick recovery. Otherwise, complications of borreliosis infection may develop:

• impairment of the central nervous system, up to the weakening of voluntary movements (walking, running);
• meningitis - inflammation of the meninges, which often ends in death;
• cardiac rhythm disturbances, rapid development of arrhythmia.

Such complications appear 2-3 months after infection. Among the late consequences of the penetration of spirochetes (the causative agent of borreliosis) into the body:

• damage to the central nervous system, against the background of which severe depression or excessive excitability develops;
• damage to the musculoskeletal system - a change in gait, polyarthritis, decreased or increased muscle tone;
• damage to the skin - atrophic acrodermatitis.

Treatment of Lyme disease

First, the doctor will conduct appropriate examinations to confirm the diagnosis. The patient's complaints and visible symptoms are not enough - you will need to take a blood test for borreliosis. If it is positive, the doctor sends the patient for a consultation with an infectious disease specialist and then prescribes therapy.

If the pathology is mild, then the treatment of Lyme disease is carried out on an outpatient basis. The patient is prescribed a course of antibacterial drugs, most often doctors choose drugs from the tetracycline series.

Prevention of borreliosis

There is no vaccination against borreliosis, unlike the vaccine that is administered to prevent the development of tick-borne encephalitis. It is necessary to follow preventive measures:

1. Carefully cover exposed areas of the body in nature, put on pants and tuck them into socks, the jacket should be long-sleeved, a hat is mandatory.
2. Stay as far away as possible from tall grass, any thickets and bushes in the shade - these are favorite places for the settlement of ixodid ticks.
3. After returning home, you need to carefully examine the body for ticks on the skin and, if necessary, remove them with tweezers, twisting the insect's head from the subcutaneous layer. The wound after the procedure is treated with a disinfectant solution, hands are washed thoroughly with soap.
4. It is advisable to immediately notify medical workers about the bite in order to conduct preventive antibacterial therapy.

It is strictly forbidden to press on the tick on the body, pull it out with your fingers or nails in an upward direction - this can lead to a partial solution to the problem: the insect's head remains in the subcutaneous layer, which provokes not only infection, but also suppuration / inflammation.

All recommendations for the prevention of borreliosis can be found on the pages of our website.

Article reviewer - Rykova Stanislava Oleksandrivna