6 Sneaky Signs of Lyme Disease
Excerpted from The US News & World Report: (06/18/2018)
“Ticks are the epitome of the accidental hitchhiker.”
I recently came across this quote and thought it was a brilliant analogy. You’re enjoying an outdoor hike or family outing, and without your knowledge, you’ve become the host to an unwanted guest. Smaller than the size of an eraser, this pest, better known as a deer tick, not only attaches to your skin and feeds on your blood, but is also the carrier of Lyme disease, a bacterial infection.
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Lyme disease is caused by the bite of a deer tick, and most recipients will have no idea they were bitten. And contrary to its name, a deer tick can also be carried by dogs who can infect their canine owners without contracting this bacterial disease themselves.
Typically, the incidence of this disease peaks in the summer months when the deer tick thrives and multiplies. Long known as a disease tiendemic to the northeast, Lyme disease has now been found across America. According to a recent report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “The number of people getting diseases transmitted by mosquito, tick and flea bites has more than tripled in the United States in recent years.”
Though the telltale symptom of the bull’s-eye rash is well known, there are some sneaky and potentially difficult to diagnose symptoms that can mimic other diseases.
Case in point: I recently had a patient who came to the emergency room complaining of shortness of breath and palpitations. Initially, the on-call team thought it was an acute heart problem. But congestive heart failure or a heart attack were eventually ruled out. The patient was found to have a large collection of fluid compressing the heart muscle and was subsequently admitted and diagnosed with pancarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle and the pericardium, the sac that encases the heart.
We had pinpointed the symptoms but needed a cause. Once CHF and heart attack were ruled out, I had to wonder whether these symptoms were a result of an autoimmune disease, where the body attacks itself. Or could this be a sign of an infection that had been brewing for years?
After running an exhaustive battery of tests, I found the patient had a rip-roaring Lyme infection that had remained indolent for decades.
For more: https://health.usnews.com/health-care/for-better/articles/2018-06-18/6-sneaky-signs-of-lyme-disease
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