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Chronic Lyme Disease- Fact or Fiction?

Lyme disease in its early form is bad enough. One can just imagine how much worse its chronic form is. Some medical experts though doubt that there is even a chronic form of the disease. What exactly is this chronic stage and how do people develop it?

Problem with Symptoms

As some would already know, lyme disease in general is caused by the bite of a bacteria-carrying deer tick. Once inside the host, the bacteria can produce such symptoms as muscle pain, fatigue, fever and chills. The clearest evidence of lyme disease infection however is the appearance of a rash with a light colored center surrounded by a red band. This is often the single most important symptom that can tell you that you need treatment for lyme disease.

There would be no problem for infected individuals if the characteristic rash turned up every time. In a number of patients, this rash may take weeks to appear or may not even show up. Whether or not there is a rash though, conclusive evidence of an infection should be provided by a blood test. Even the appropriate lab test however will not always reveal the existence of the infection.

It is when the blood test results come out negative that the condition may be diagnosed as something else. A doctor may conclude that a patient is suffering from severe stress or flu. More severe discomfort or muscle pain may be attributed to fibromyalgia. This condition has similar symptoms as lyme disease but without the rash. Patients with fibromyalgia may suffer from general muscle pain and fatigue.

Chronic Condition Sets In

Some argue that it is when lyme disease is not diagnosed properly that its chronic form can set in. The term chronic suggests that a person may suffer from the symptoms for a prolonged period of time. Major health complications may then follow if the disease is not treated at its early stage. Some patients may begin to suffer from partial impairment of the nervous system. This can lead to difficulty concentrating, memory loss, facial paralysis and changes in movement patterns. Some severely affected individuals may even end up with meningitis. Doctors mention though that lyme disease rarely ever moves on to complications.

Treatment Issues

Others may suggest that treatment options for lyme disease should be considered if there is some slight possibility that a person is infected. In other words, they would suggest treating a patient in the presence of ambiguous symptoms.

Most, if not all, medical practitioners however would advise caution. The treatment for lyme disease is through oral or intravenous antibiotics. It is dangerous and counterproductive to indiscriminately use antibiotics. Giving antibiotics to individuals who truly do not have lyme disease after all may lead to the creation of other antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. Hence, antibiotic treatment that is specific to lyme disease should only be considered if there is a clear confirmation of the target bacteria.

Chronic lyme disease may or may not be real. The fact remains though that having the condition even in its early stage is no picnic. If you do not want to go through the ordeal of wondering whether or not you have it, you should try to prevent infection.

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Word Count: 538 words
Main Keyword: lyme disease