As the days get warmer, many of us enjoy the great outdoors. Whether you’re taking a stroll in the country or walking the dog around a wooded area of the neighborhood, it pays to be mindful of unwanted critters. Ticks might be a great source of food if you’re a bird, but for us humans it’s far less of a treat to find one attached to your leg or arm.
Black-legged ticks, commonly known as deer ticks, have the reputation of spreading Lyme disease. If bitten by an infected deer tick, bacteria such as borrelia burgdorferi and borrelia mayonii enter the skin and make their way into the bloodstream. If the tick is removed within two days, the risk of contracting Lyme disease is lessened. However, their small size makes deer ticks difficult to detect and remove properly.
To reduce the chances of being bitten when spending time in grassy or wooded areas, insect repellents with a 20 percent or higher concentration of DEET may be applied to the skin. You can also protect your family against ticks by wearing long clothing and taking care to tuck pants into socks when walking in tall weeds and grass. When possible, remain on the path in areas of tall grass, and be sure to keep your dog on a leash too. A tidy lawn, mowed regularly, is another way to prevent tick bites when outdoors.
If you suspect that you may have been bitten, or have spent time in an area prone to ticks, it helps to shower as soon as possible. If a tick is attached to the skin, tweezers may be used to gently pull the tick away by its head, followed by an application of antiseptic to the bitten area. It is common for bumps, similar to mosquito bites, to appear on the site after removal of a tick. These do not indicate Lyme disease.
If you have been infected, a slowly expanding rash may be found on the body, and other symptoms may include fatigue, chills, fever, body and headaches, stiffness of the neck, and swelling of the lymph nodes. Left untreated, the rash may spread to other parts of the body, the stiffness may spread to multiple joints (commonly the knees), and in some instances, long after the infection has progressed, neurological problems, arthritis, impaired memory, and irregular heartbeats may occur.
Treatment for Lyme disease is more effective the earlier that it is started. Antibiotics may be taken orally to treat early stages, or intravenously if the disease has reached the central nervous system. Within recent years, a new strain of the disease has been documented.
Borrelia miyamotoi is a relative of the Lyme-causing bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, and symptoms of infection are comparable to those of Lyme disease. First identified in ticks throughout Japan, the same bacteria has been found in North American ticks as well. While symptoms such as fever, chills, aches and fatigue are present in each, rashes are far less common in cases of Borrelia miyamotoi infections, and as a result, they are harder to diagnose.
A concern with this bacterium is that symptoms run the risk of being misdiagnosed as flu or a virus. In the case of both Borrelia miyamotoi and Borrelia burgdorferi infections, the consequences become more serious if treatment is delayed. Without the visual cue of a rash, it’s essential to pay close attention to the possibility of tick bites, and be proactive in taking recommended prevention steps.
It’s the mission of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center to “improve health in Ohio and across the world through innovation in research, education and patient care.” With healthcare professionals dedicated to teaching, as well as treating our wider community, we are able to learn a great deal from the Wexner team. Ashley Larrimore, emergency physician at The Wexner Medical Center, is experienced in successfully treating Lyme disease, having worked previously in Massachusetts, where patients are diagnosed with Lyme disease more frequently. With the popularity of hiking and proximity to the outdoors, Larrimore sees a rise in the number of Lyme disease cases in the summer months. In her four years at the Wexner, diagnosed cases of Lyme disease have been less common in Ohio, however Larrimore states that it is “on the rise.”
Larrimore indicates that Lyme disease is an easy disease to treat with a course of antibiotics, and that patients respond to treatment well when diagnosed early. If left untreated, life-threatening conditions, such as meningitis or heart complications can occur.
While the initial disease is simple to treat, a concern of Larrimore’s is that many people may not realize that they have been bitten for a period of time. Lyme disease is not necessarily a bigger threat to children, but many cases may go untreated with worsening symptoms if parents are not carefully checking their children for tick bites. Finding the tick can be a challenge, as one deer tick is approximately the size of a poppy seed.
As mentioned previously, with symptoms similar to that of flu or other viruses, patients may delay contacting their physician. Larrimore reports that in areas where Lyme disease is more common, individuals are more cognizant to the risk of tick bites, especially in hidden areas such as behind the ears and in the armpit. Awareness of how the disease is contracted is essential in reducing cases of infection.
As warmer days approach and we spend more time outdoors, pay attention to your surroundings, and protect your health by taking sensible precautions and checking your skin carefully.
Sophia Fratianne is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
