Lyme Disease: A Case Study

Lyme Disease: Mechanisms of Disease – A Patient Conversation

Lyme Disease: Mechanisms of Disease – A Patient Conversation
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that spreads throughout the body from the bite of a tick. Lyme disease is a bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi (B. burgdorferi) and the body’s immune response to the infection (Meyerhoff, 2013). Ticks pick up B. burgdorferi from another host such as deer or mice; they then transfer it to humans (Lyme disease, n.d.). B burgdorferi is carried in the midgut of the tick and is transferred to a human in the form of spirochete (Meyerhoff, 2013). A spirochete is a worm-like, spiral-shaped bacterium (Spirochete definition, n.d.). Lyme disease can be caused by an active infection or
It can also stay within the skin or central nervous system of a human for years without causing any symptoms (Lyme disease, n.d.). Lyme disease has three stages that affect the human body, early localized, early distribution, and chronic distribution (Meyerhoff, 2013). During stage 1 or early localized, the infection has not spread throughout the body. Stage 1 can be days or weeks after the bite takes place and one can experience symptoms like the flu such as chills, fever, headache, muscle pain, and joint pain (Lyme disease, n.d.). A rash that looks like a “bull’s eye” and starts at the bite site may accompany stage 2 or early distribution, which is the spread of the infection (Lyme disease, n.d.). Stage 2 also has accompanying symptoms of numbness or nerve pain, paralysis or weakness of face muscles, and heart problems (Lyme disease, n.d.). These symptoms can occur weeks or even months after the bite of a tick (Lyme disease, n.d.). In stage 3 or chronic distribution, the infections spreads to the joints and nervous system (Lyme disease, n.d.). Some symptoms one can experience in stage 3 are joint swelling, muscle weakness, speech problems, and abnormal muscle movement (Lyme disease, n.d.). These symptoms can occur months or even years after the bite, if not treated in the early stages of this infection (Lyme disease,
In order to be diagnosed there can be a blood test completed that checks for antibodies to the bacteria (Lyme disease, n.d.). If the infection has spread throughout the body, other tests may need to be done to include an electrocardiogram, MRI of the brain, and a spinal tap (Lyme disease, n.d.). One way that someone can be tested for Lyme disease is to have a single dose of doxycycline, which is an antibiotic (Lyme disease, n.d.). Also, a 10 to 4 week antibiotic can be given to treat people that have been diagnosed with Lyme disease (Lyme disease, n.d.). If Lyme disease is treated in the early stages, there is a positive prognosis (Meyerhoff, 2013). If the disease is diagnosed at the late stages there is a chance that there has been serious damage done to the body. It can cause Lyme arthritis, memory disorders, nerve damage, and vision problems to name a few (Lyme disease,