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Lyme Disease
Formal name: Anti-borrelia burgdorferi IgM/IgG
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Common Questions
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1. What is the proper treatment for Lyme disease?
2. Can I do anything to protect myself from becoming infected?
3. How can I recognize the signs if I don’t show the rash?
4. Are deer ticks the only way to get Lyme disease?
1. What is the proper treatment for Lyme disease?
Most patients with Lyme disease are treated with antibiotics.
2. Can I do anything to protect myself from becoming infected?
Yes. If you are in the woods or garden in tick-infested areas, avoid contact with the soil, leaves, and vegetation. Wear closed shoes, light-colored clothing, and use insect repellant containing DEET. Check your clothing and exposed skin frequently and remove ticks promptly. Animals such as dogs, cats, horses, and cows can also carry the deer tick. Check your pet often, particularly the head, neck, ears, and between the toes. Use a tick repellent prescribed by your veterinarian.
3. How can I recognize the signs if I don’t show the rash?
The rash appears in only about 50% of those infected. This rash may be the classic “bull’s eye,” but may also be blotchy or red and may be confused with poison ivy, spider bites, or ringworm. It may appear between a few days and a few weeks after being bitten and can disappear quickly. If possible, take a picture of the rash to show your doctor, since the rash may be gone before you can get an appointment with him/her.
Other symptoms of Lyme disease include fatigue, chills and fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, and swollen lymph nodes. Check with your doctor if you have any of these symptoms and cannot explain how you got them.
4. Are deer ticks the only way to get Lyme disease?
No. On the Pacific coast and in southeastern states, the black-legged tick also transmits Lyme disease.
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This article was last reviewed on
June 29, 2006.
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