Borreliosis: symptoms and treatment of tick-borne borreliosis
Symptoms of tick borreliosis
Manifestation of symptoms of borreliosis in humans in direct dependence on the stage of the disease. Signs of it appear one, two weeks after contact with the tick.
The first stage of the disease manifests itself:
- acute and subacute onset;
- chills and fever;
- symptoms of intoxication;
- stiffness of the neck muscles;
- by enlarged lymph nodes( lymphadenopathy);
- appearance of ring-shaped reddening at the site of the bite-annular migrating erythema, a typical sign of borreliosis.
- manifestations of conjunctivitis
Ring-shaped erythema is a permanent symptom of Borreliosis of the first degree, it is localized mainly on the legs, but it can appear on any part of the body. As a rule, on the abdomen, lower back, neck, armpits and groin, it is, in size, smaller than the first hearth. Characteristic and other signs - skin manifestations in the form of rashes, such as urticaria or a rash on the face.
Approximately 10% of patients in the acute period have signs of meningitis expressed by characteristic symptoms:
- with headaches, nausea and vomiting;
- increased response to irritants;
- is a photophobia.
There are cases of manifestations of arthralgia, myalgia and hepatitis( without manifestations of jaundice).Symptoms, at the first stage, may be completely absent or persist for a month. In the absence of timely antibacterial treatment, even at normal temperature and absence of erythema manifestation, borreliosis will gradually move to the next, more severe stage.
The second stage. Clinical manifestations of borreliosis of the second stage are very diverse, since the causative agent affects almost all the human organs:
CNS - In adults, it is expressed by the defeat of the facial nerve.
Cardiovascular system - appears extrasystolic arrhythmia, a violation of atrioventricular conduction, myocarditis and pericarditis.
Manifestation of meningoencephalitis - in the form of a paresis of intracranial nerves, rigidity of the occipital muscles, headaches and emotional instability. As well as defeat of the facial nerve, as a result of which hearing is broken, facial asymmetry and lacrimation appear.
Third stage. In the interval from six months to two years, there is a development of chronic inflammatory processes in the joints in the form of arthritis, skin pathologies and CNS damage.
In case of ineffective treatment or in general, there is a persistent, chronic form of borelliosis - characterized by the manifestation of - and remission, and relapse, or a constantly recurring form of the disease.
The disease is expressed by the destruction of bone and cartilaginous tissues( arthritis), as a result of prolonged relapses. Disturbance of bone structure and density( osteoporosis), degenerative changes( thinning of cartilage).In the area of skin lesions, nodular infiltrates( lymphocytoma) are noted, with painful manifestations. As a result, acrodermatitis occurs atrophy of human skin.
See also, symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis.
Diagnosis of borreliosis
Epidemiological history, clinical picture, laboratory studies and the presence of a clinical stage of the disease - an important component of the diagnosis of tick borreliosis.
Diagnostic measures:
- the isolation of borrelia from the tissues and the sinus fluid of the patient - the marginal zone of the erythema.
- study of spirotechs under a microscope;
- for the detection of antibodies in the blood using the reaction of the RNIF, analysis of ELISA, as an antigen using whole microbial cells;
- serological tests for the determination of antibody titres
Treatment of borreliosis
The borreliosis is successfully treated with antibiotics. The choice of medicines, dosage and duration of administration depends on the severity, shape, and stage of the disease. It is prescribed exclusively by a doctor.
Patients with moderate disease, at any period of the disease, are necessarily hospitalized in an infectious disease clinic. As a rule, after the expiration of two, three weeks after infection, the antibody response, according to the ELISA test, gives a positive result.
With Borreliosis with characteristic skin manifestations, the therapy lasts about two weeks. Duration of treatment for disseminated infections is about a month.
Until recently, tetracycline antibiotics have been recommended for the treatment of borreliosis, but numerous studies have shown that such drugs cause increased sensitivity to sun radiation, just the period when the mites are active. And the safety-effectiveness ratio is not at all in favor of the drug.
An effective drug in the treatment of borreliosis is Ceftriaxone. Widely used in children's practice, the most safe. With the least list of side effects. Treatment with ceftriaxone should be accompanied by the intake of preparations containing lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, antifungal preparations. To prevent intoxication, a course of immune-strengthening therapy is needed.
Read also what to do if the tick is bitten.
Complications of borreliosis lime
Careless treatment of the disease can cause completely no comical complications:
- development of dementia: due to impairment of mental functions;
- nerve palsy;
- loss of sight and hearing;
- severe arrhythmia;
- arthritis and skin pathology.
Prevention of tick-borne borreliosis
There is no vaccine against the disease, and no special preventive measures have been devised. It is based on the usual, elementary precautionary rules in places of life of mites and insects:
- clothing with long sleeves and trousers;
- high shoes and headwear;
- application of protective clothing;
- attached mite remove by twisting method;
- can not be pressed and pulled vertically.
- after removal process the wound and hands.
Returning from a walk, do not be lazy to pay a visit to the doctor.
Borreliosis, Lyme borreliosis or disease Lima is a natural focal, infectious, with a violation of various metabolic reactions, a disease.
With the processes of a large panmictic population( the preservation of the genetic structure), with a multitude of clinical manifestations caused by three types of protozoan( unicellular) parasites - spirochetes, the genus Borrelia.
Bacteria Borrelia garinii and Borrelia afzelii, acting as a causative agent of the disease, are distributed mainly in European territory, and parasites - Borrelia burgdorferi are identified in more than 25 states of America.
Pliers Ixodes( genus mites) are the main carriers of the causative agent of the disease. Ticks migrate with birds, attaching to their bodies, as well as with dogs.
Tick-borne lyme borreliosis: symptoms and classification
| Disease form: | - asymptomatic( latent form) - rapid development( manifest form) |
| | dynamics - acute dynamics( duration of up to three months) - subacute dynamics( duration from three monthsup to half a year) - chronic( duration more than 6 months) |
| Clinical features: | - acute and subacute period a) with cutaneous manifestation( erythema) b) asymptomatic manifestation with possible pathologies: - joints and heart; - nerve structures. - chronic course: a) continuous form - with a steady increase and complication of disorders. b) a relapsing form with significant impairment: - pathological skin processes; - destructive changes in the joints, - a change in the nervous structures; - development of heart diseases; |
| Degree of severity | Severe degree, medium degree and mild degree of |
The diverse clinical manifestations of borreliosis make it difficult to diagnose in time.
See also how to treat a demodex mite on the face.