Lyme Disease Rash

Lyme disease rash is the outcome of a common infection known as Lyme disease. This disease is more prevalent in places where there are crowded woods and grasslands. This rash is also commonly known as the Bull's-eye rash. A person suffering from Lyme can suffer from abnormalities in the heart, joint and nervous system.

What is Lyme Disease Rash?
Lyme disease is a tick-borne infection caused by a bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi. This bacterium is commonly found in mice and deer. Ticks only happen to be the carriers of this bacterium, which they pick while feeding on infected animals. As they are extremely small in size, their bites are mostly overlooked out of carelessness and sheer ignorance. However, not every tick bite happens to be the cause of rashes.

The first sign of this infection is a swollen blemish circled by a red rash similar to erythema migrans. The rash size is approximately 5cm to 30 cm in diameter. It appears at the site of the tick bite within a week or two after the infection has set. Usually the duration is approximately 3-5 weeks after the onset of the infection.

Unlike humans, Lyme disease in dogs does not exhibit significant symptoms. In canines, the symptoms begin to show 2-5 months after the bite, as joint pains, fever and loss of appetite. Lameness is also a sign that rings the possibility of this infection.

Lyme Disease Symptoms
The early indications may include flu-like symptoms. Some of the widely known symptoms of this disease in humans are listed below:

• Circular red rash
• Severe headache and muscle ache
• Distended lymph nodes
• Fatigue

The above signs, if ignored, can pose a serious concern, resulting in primary stages of Lyme arthritis. In extreme cases this can lead to dysfunctional muscles, meningitis, Bell's palsy, and numbness in limbs. In unusual cases, there is a possibility of inflammation in the eyes and abnormality in the heart rhythm as well.

Lyme Rash Treatment
The cure for Lyme disease is a slow process. First part of the treatment is to ensure if the affliction caused is due to this disease or not. This is because the symptoms are similar to that of common flu, and hence may be misleading. For this, ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) test and Western blot test are carried out on blood samples to diagnose the infection. Only if the result of ELISA is positive, the Western blot test is conducted to confirm the possibility of a rash.

This affliction is mostly curable by oral antibiotics if diagnosed at an early stage. The most commonly used antibiotic is doxycycline. But, pregnant women and children under the age of 9 are strictly forbidden to take this antibiotic. However amoxicillin and cefuroxime are suitable for young children and pregnant women. In case it is not diagnosed in time the disease may proceed to secondary stage, which then has to be treated with intravenous antibiotics. This treatment is done only if the infection has crossed the primary stage, because the side effects of this procedure can incur low white blood corpuscle count and diarrhea.

Preventive Measures
It is always better to take proper preventive measures to safeguard against diseases. Here are some simple precautions to be kept in mind:

• Since the tick population is profoundly found in woods and crowded grasslands, it is better to wear appropriate clothing while venturing in such places.
• Clear the bushes at regular intervals to avoid expansion of tick population.
• Children and pets are more prone to tick bites, so extra care must be taken. Specially pets need to be regularly washed to keep them clean as they are more likely to become infested with ticks.
• Insect repellents also can be used. But over usage can cause skin problems as their chemical composition is toxic in nature.

Taking proper precautionary measures like maintaining hygiene and avoiding areas infested with ticks can keep this disease at bay.