Lyme Disease

1
Devin Eckstein
Lyme Disease
2
What youll be seeing

• What Lyme Disease is.
• Noticeable symptoms of the disease.
• The effects that LD has on your body.
• How to prevent getting it.
• The treatments given if you do get it.

3
What is Lyme Disease?
Lyme disease is an infection caused by a type of
bacterium called a spirochete that is carried by
deer ticks. The bacterium travels through the
bloodstream, establishes itself in various body
tissues, and can cause a number of symptoms.
4
Symptoms

• Rash radiating from tick bite (called erythema
  migrans, or an EM rash)
• Joint pains
• Chills
• Fever
• Fatigue

5
Dangers of Lyme Disease
Without an EM rash present, doctors often
misdiagnose the disease as the flu or
something like it. Left untreated LD can result
in arthritis, 10-20 in chronic arthritis
which lasts a lifetime. Other problems with the
nervous system may result which may last
weeks or months, and could recur.
6
Preventing Lyme Disease
There are no definite ways to keep from getting
Lyme Disease, but many things you can do to help
keep the ticks the carry the disease away from
you.
7
1. Stay out of tick infested areas during the
months of May, June, and July
8
2. When walking outside, keep loose ends of
clothing tucked in, and always stay to the
middle of the path to avoid overgrown grass and
brush.
9

• Spray insect repellent containing Permethrin to
  your pants, socks, and shoes, and apply any
  compound with DEET to exposed skin.

10
If you do get Lyme Disease
If an EM rash is present and the doctors discover
the disease quickly enough, most patients can be
treated with antibiotics. Blood tests may be
necessary, and if the disease is in its later
stages the antibiotics may have to be given
intravenously, directly into the blood stream.
11
So Basically
Lyme Disease is an infectious disease caused by
deer ticks. It can lead to serious arthritis or
other neurological problems, but with antibiotics
usually only lasts between a few weeks to a few
months. You should dress carefully when going
outside during the summer months, and always
check your clothing afterwards for ticks to avoid
getting this disease.
12
Bibliography

• Patient Education Institute. MEDLINEplus.
  http//www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/lymed
  isease/id239101.html (accessed 7 December 2002)
• Burrascan, Joseph J, Jr., M.D. Diagnostic Hints
  and Treatment Guidelines for Lyme and Other Tick
  Borne Illnesses, from Lyme Disease Association.
  http//www.lymediseaseassociation.org/guidelines20
  02nov.doc (accessed December 2002)
• Zepf, Bill, M.D. Single-Dose Doxycycline to
  Prevent Lyme Disease, in American Academy of
  Family Physicians. http//www.aafp.org (accessed
  20 December 2002)
• American Lyme Disease Foundation, Inc.
  http//www.aldf.com/FAQ.asp (accessed December
  2002)
• Lyme Disease Foundation. http//www.lyme.org/index
  2.html (accessed December 2002)