Did you know a single tick bite can change your life forever?
Lime disease is on rise and it is more common than you think.
Lyme disease is caused by the bite of a tick. But every tick bite cannot cause infection. Only those ticks that carry special bacteria called Borrelia bacteria can cause Lyme disease. There is a special kind of tick called deer tick mainly cause this infection to human. Another name of this tick is black legged tick. The deer tick got this name because of their special appearance means they have black legs in contrast to their reddish- brown bodies.
But there is also a good news:
an ordinary “Wood Ticks” and “Dog Ticks” do not cause this infection.
Let’s dive in to its History:
Do you know how this disease was discovered?
And why is it called Lyme?
In 1975, this disease was discovered in The United States. There was a small town in united states named Lyme, Connecticut where many children were diagnosed with the juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. At that time, researches found that the arthritis was caused by the bite of a tick, actually a deer tick which carried a bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. For this reason, the disease is called borreliosis or Lyme disease.
Just imagine a mysterious illness that starts with a small red rash but if left untreated can silently spread to our joint, heart and even nervous system. That’s the danger of the Lyme disease.
Let’s explore the stages of this disease and the hidden symptoms you need to watch out before it takes over.
Stage-1
After a tick bite, the stage 1 starts with in 3-30 days. This stage is also called early localized disease because this stage shows a limited set of symptoms.
What do you think the most common sign of Lyme disease?
Obviously, a rash-So how does this rash looks like?
The rash is usually a single circle, slowly spread from the site of infection where the tick bite. The rash looks clear at the center. It looks like a target or bull’s eye.
Another important thing that you should remember to recognize the rash is that:
It feels warm when you touch it, but surprisingly it is neither itchy nor painful.
There are a few more symptoms that you can relate to stage-1 of Lyme disease that include:
 Headache
 Fever
 Extreme tiredness
 Joint stiffness
 Muscle aches and pain
 Swollen lymph node
It is important to treat the infection otherwise the disease will enter into stage 2
Stage-2
The stage 2 is more serious and widespread. This stage is also called early disseminated disease, because in this stage bacteria have begun to spread all over the body.
So, how would we know that stage- 2 has started?
Actually, there are a few symptoms that are related to stage 2 that include:
 Rashes on different body parts
 Muscle weakness on one or both sides of face.
 Neck stiffness with pain
 Irregularities in heartbeat
 Pain in lower body parts that starts from back and hips and spread to legs
 A feeling of numbness or pain in hands and feet
 Pain in eyes and eyelids or even vision loss
Stage-3:
After stage-2, the untreated disease can lead to stage-3. It is also called late disseminated Lyme disease.
At this point bacteria have already spread to distant sites such as joints and nerves.
The symptoms of stage-3 starts after 2 to 12 months after tick bite.
But surprisingly,
This stage shows different symptoms in the type of Lyme disease common in The United States compared to what is present in Europe.
In the United States, you will mainly observe arthritis in large joints. The stiffness, swelling and pain of joints remain there for a long time.
But, in Europe the Lyme disease can cause a skin condition. In this condition top of feet and back of hands changes their color and swell. This skin condition is called Acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans. The skin of elbow and knees can also get discolored due to this disease. If the condition became serious, it can cause damage to joints and tissues.