Lyme Disease
What is Lyme Disease?
Lyme Disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is an infectious disease caused by the Borrelia bacterium, although there are many strains of Lyme bacteria that can be contracted through a tick bite. Ticks can carry and transmit more than one infectious microorganism, which can make proper diagnosis and treatment more complex.
Lyme disease does not affect just one part of your body. It can affect your physical, mental, emotional, sexual, and general well-being. It is often a life-changing diagnosis for patients and their families as it is a complicated, misunderstood disease with a lacking in research.
Symptoms
Lyme Disease is known as the “Great Imitator” because of its wide range of symptoms that often get mistaken for other diseases. Lyme disease often mimics similar symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, MS, rheumatoid arthritis, and Somatization Disorder.
The first signs of Lyme infection are often a flu-like symptoms such as sore throat, headaches, and body aches, but this is not always the case. Some symptoms may not present themselves right away.
Some patients notice a bulls-eye rash, or may even find the tick itself, but it is only noticed in less than 30% of patients.
Some common symptoms of Lyme:
- Brain fog
- Flu-like symptoms
- Fatigue, exhaustion
- Migrating joint pain and swelling
- Vision problems
- Night sweats or chills
- Mood swings
- Numbness and tingling
