Spring is here, bringing with it good weather and warm temperatures during the daytime, which means more trips to the countryside and walks in the woods. According to studies by the US Environmental Protection Agency, these are the habitats preferred by ticks. This tiny arachnid is dangerous because its bite can transmit numerous diseases, such as Lyme disease, caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi.
Lyme disease is divided into three different stages: early Lyme, early disseminated Lyme, and chronic Lyme.
Early Lyme disease begins to manifest itself almost immediately, or at the latest within weeks after the tick bite. If the disease is detected at this stage, the appropriate treatment involves a novel antibiotic system that minimizes side effects as much as possible.
Symptoms of early-stage Lyme disease include fever, malaise, and headache, as well as muscle aches, chills, and joint discomfort.
The second stage is early disseminated Lyme disease, with no visible symptoms at first, the bacteria borrelia advances through our bloodstream, spreading throughout our body.
Subsequently, peculiar symptoms related to this stage appear, including weakness, arrhythmias, chest pain, respiratory problems, and facial muscle paralysis.
Finally, there is chronic Lyme disease, which is very difficult to diagnose, as it can appear years after the bite and therefore there is no apparent cause-and-effect relationship with the tick bite, which has been forgotten over time or simply ignored from the outset. The consequences of chronic Lyme disease can be irreparable and range from joint inflammation and extreme fatigue to neurological symptoms such as lack of coordination and psychiatric problems, as well as heart problems, amnesia, neuralgia, and difficulty concentrating.
In fact, Lyme disease is known as the great imitator because it specializes in replicating symptoms similar to those caused by diseases such as ALS, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue, among others, which makes it difficult to diagnose and confuses doctors who are not experienced in this pathology.
All these problems can be avoided thanks to early detection of Lyme disease, and to do this it is essential to detect both Lyme disease and co-infections associated with a tick bite. In this regard, it is vital to avoid false negatives. Only in this way can we avoid chronicity and gradual deterioration.
At Biosalud Day Hospital, we are experts in the LymeCHECK® test, an exclusive test developed by our brand that consists of specific complementary tests aimed at detecting other co-infections that are not detected in traditional analyses. In addition to ruling out Borrelia infection, it is important to detect possible co-infections such as Coxsackie, Bartonella, Babesia, Rickettsia, Chlamydia trachomatis, Chlamydia pneumoniae, or Mycoplasma.
This LymeCHECK® analysis for Lyme disease can be performed at home, with all guarantees.
In addition to Lyme disease, which we have discussed in detail throughout this article, ticks also cause other diseases such as spotted fever and tularemia. They are vectors of infections and diseases, and tick bites should not be taken lightly .
At Biosalud Day Hospital, we help detect these diseases and combat them, with the aim of restoring the patient's well-being and improving their quality of life.
