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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – The risk of contracting Lyme disease from bacteria transmitted by ticks heightens in the summer months as people spend more time outdoors hiking, camping, and playing in the yard explains Daniel Hussar, PhD, Remington Professor of Pharmacy at University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. White-footed mice and white-tailed deer are the most common animal hosts for ticks, and signs of an infection, caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, can include an expanding circular rash called erythema migrans or a bull’s-eye rash at the bite site, fatigue, headache, muscle and joint aches, flu-like symptoms, and swollen lymph nodes. Dr. Hussar shares how to best prevent tick bites and various treatments for Lyme disease:
Prevention
Minimize skin exposure
Use tick repellents, such as DEET
If bitten, promptly remove the tick from the skin by pulling it off gently with tweezers, leaving the tick and its mouth parts intact. Do not put vaseline, fingernail polish, mineral oil, alcohol, or a lit match on the tick.
Treatment
Most cases of Lyme disease can be cured using an oral antibiotic, such as doxycycline (for treating patients over 8 years of age). Alternative treatments include cefuroxime and amoxicillin.
Serious infections may require intravenous therapy, such as ceftriaxone.
A small percentage of patients have symptoms that last months to years even after treatment with antibiotics, such as muscle and joint pains, arthritis, cognitive defects, sleep disturbance, or fatigue.
If you suspect you have Lyme disease, it is important that you consult your health care provider for proper diagnosis. If the infection goes unrecognized and untreated, it can lead to serious cardiac issues, arthritic problems, and/or become a chronic neurological condition.
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