Borrelia is a bacterial disease that is spread by ticks. The most common symptom is a skin redness at the site after the tick bite. Thyme is treated with antibiotics. Sometimes the disease spreads to the nervous system and occasionally to the joints. It can then take longer to recover.
Approximately half of all people who are infected with borrelia do not get any symptoms and therefore do not notice the disease. Borrelia often heals by itself.
Another disease that spreads through tick bites is TBE.
Symptoms of borrelia
It happens that you do not notice that you have received a tick bite, but only detect symptoms that may indicate that you have been infected with tick-borne.
Skin redness is the most common
The most common symptom of borrelia is a special redness at the site where you got the tick bite. The erythema is also called erythema migrans and differs from the smaller, temporary erythema that is common after a tick bite.
These are common signs of skin redness that is due to Lyme disease:
- It usually comes one to four weeks after you’ve been bitten.
- It is larger than five centimeters in diameter.
- It gets bigger over time.
- It can be annular, oval or regular in shape.
- It may fade in the middle or be even red.
The rash can also numb and itch. You can also get other types of skin changes, such as fluid sores or blisters.
Borrelia can also cause headaches and aches that radiate to the neck, arms, back, and legs.
You can also get more than one skin redness on the body. They are called multiple erythema migrants. Then you can also get a fever.
Blue-red knot on the skin
Borrelia can also cause a bluish red knot in the skin. It is usually between one and five centimeters in size and often sits on the earlobe or nipple. Such a nodule is called the Borrelia lymphocytoma and is more common in children than in adults. You often get swollen lymph nodes near the node.
The joints can become inflamed
Borrelia can sometimes cause a joint inflammation called Borrelia Arthritis. Then one or more joints usually swell up, usually the knee joint.
The swelling lasts between a few days and a few weeks. It usually disappears by itself but can come back several times with a long time in between. The pain can remain even when the swelling is gone.
Borrelia can spread to the nervous system
Sometimes the nervous system can be affected. It is called neuroborreliosis and is more common in children.
The symptoms usually come two to six weeks after the tick bite. It can sometimes take up to three months. Some first get the typical redness, but not all. When the symptoms from the nervous system come, the skin redness usually has faded.
These may be symptoms of neuroborreliosis:
- Heavy pain in the neck, back, arms or legs.
- Headache
- Stiffness in the neck
- Paralysis in part of the face.
When and where should I seek care?
Contact a health care center if you have redness that has occurred at least one week after a tick bite and is greater than five inches in diameter. You can contact many receptions by logging in.
If you have a fever, headache, are unusually tired or have pain in your body, contact a health care center or an on-call reception. You do not need to seek care elsewhere if it is closed. Wait until the on-call reception or medical center open.
If it’s in a hurry
- You have headaches, are stiff in the neck and feel very sick.
- You become paralyzed in the face or other parts of the body.
What is Borrelia?
Borrelia is a so-called zoonosis, a disease that spreads between animals and humans. Ticks suck blood from humans, birds, and mammals and can then become infected with various infectious agents. They then spread these infections the next time they suck blood. The bacterial bacterium is such an infection.
This is how the borrelia gets infected
You can get Velcro if you are bitten by a tick that carries Velcro bacteria.
Ticks are most active when the temperature is above four degrees. The risk of getting a tick bite is, therefore, greatest during the period March to November.
How Can I Prevent Borrelia?
It usually takes at least a day or so from the ticking of the tick to the transfer of bacteria to you. You reduce the risk of getting infected if you remove the tick as soon as possible.
There is no vaccine for Lyme disease.
Reduce the risk of tick bites
You can try to avoid getting tick bites by wearing boots, long pants and long sleeve shirts in areas where ticks are located. It has been found that dark clothing attracts fewer ticks. However, ticks are easier to detect on light clothing.
It is good to look for ticks on your body when you have been outdoors. For example, you can take the habit of looking for ticks every night. Then you might find ticks before they get stuck. The tick wanders around for several hours on the body before it bites.
Surveys
A doctor is usually able to diagnose measles only by looking at the typical redness of the skin. You can have blood tests if there is a suspicion that the disease has spread in the body.
You may be given a spinal fluid test if you have symptoms suggesting that the Velcro infection has spread to the nervous system.
You may be given a test for joint fluid if your doctor thinks you have had joint inflammation.
Treatment for borrelia
Thyme is treated with antibiotics. The redness of the skin may be greater the first day after treatment of borrelia has begun. Redness usually disappears within one to two weeks.
Most become completely healthy after the treatment. However, it may take longer for the body to heal completely if treatment is started late. Then it can sometimes take many months before all the symptoms disappear. Although the symptoms do not disappear immediately, the infection is treated.
The long treatment has no effect
You will not recover faster from receiving a longer treatment of borrelia with antibiotics, in addition to the first cure. However, long-term treatment with antibiotics can cause side effects.
Complications and sequelae
You usually recover completely even though the Velcro infection has spread to the nervous system. There is no scientific support for the infection itself to become chronic, that is, persistent.
However, sometimes the Velcro infection can cause problems that remain for a long time.
Chronic skin inflammation – acrodermatitis
An uncommon sequela of borrelia is a skin inflammation called acrodermatitis. You can then get blue-red discoloration and swelling on the body part where you got the tick bite, often on your feet and legs. Acrodermatitis is treated with antibiotics.
Skin changes that could occur before treatment began usually endure.
Complications of neuroborreliosis
Borrelia can cause a serious infection of the central nervous system, but it is very uncommon. It can lead to paralysis in the body or the brain is affected in different ways. Memory disorders and concentration difficulties are the most common problems.
The infection is treated with antibiotics, but it can take a long time for the symptoms to disappear.
Pregnancy and Borrelia
There is nothing to suggest that a Velcro infection can affect the pregnancy or the fetus.
Influence and participate in your care
You can seek care at any medical center or open specialist clinic you want throughout the country. Sometimes a referral to the open specialized care is required.