Tick Bite and Lyme Disease Posted: 12-06-06 18:38pm
I am inquiring for a friend, he was bitten
by a Dear Tick several months ago, he
didn't notice the tick until the area
became infected. Almost immediately after
he developed psoriasis like skin lesions
on his elbows, then face, scalp ,stomach,
and legs, he has no family history of this
condition, the lesions are painful and
have a burning sensation. His doctor is
about to treat him with a medicine that
requires some type of injection directly
into his liver, and requires many blood
tests for several weeks. He has no chronic
diseases, and rarely is ill. He doesn't
really want to have this procedure done, I
don't blame him. Is there any possibility
that these symptoms could be derived from
some type tick borne illness, and if so
what tests other than the normal Lyme
disease would you recommend?
Lyme disease is a chronic, systemic
infective disease caused by the bacterium
'Borrelia burgdorferi'. The skin rash
present during Lyme disease in the first
(early) stages usually consists of red
(erythematic) spots that start from the
local bite and spread through the whole
body (erythema migrans). During the second
stage (late), the disease affects the
heart, central nervous system, and joints.
During the third (chronic) stage,
inflammatory atrophic skin lesions
(atrophic chronic acrodermatitis) occur
around the joints and continue to affect
the nerves, heart and joints. Lyme disease
can be diagnosed by detecting
anti-Borellia antibodies in the blood.
Your friend SHOULD consult an
infectologist and dermatologist
immediately.
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