Now that spring and warmer weather is finally here, bug bites are a certainty.
Lyme disease is caused by bites from deer ticks found mainly in the Northeast, Midwest , and coastal regions of the U.S., particularly in grassy or wooded areas. The disease, discovered in 1975, is a serious bacterial infection that may cause lifelong arthritis and a certain type of heart disease known as carditis. The incidence of Lyme disease has doubled in the U.S. since 1991. With tick season in full force during the months of May, June, and July -- the CDC recommends parents take precautions to reduce the chances of their children being bitten by a tick.
 The CDC offers the following advice:
- Wear light-colored clothing so ticks will be clearly visible and can be easily removed.
- Keep ticks from reaching the skin by wearing long-sleeved shirts. Also, tuck pants into socks or boot tops.
- Wear rubber boots, since ticks are close to the ground.
- Protect exposed skin with insect repellents containing DEET; applying permethrin to clothes will kill ticks on contact.
- Make yards less suitable for deer, rodents, and ticks.
- Remove leaf litter as well as brush-and-wood piles around houses and at the edges of yards. Clear trees and brush to allow more sunlight to the yard.
- Install a barrier of wood chips where lawn meets forest; ticks don't survive well on chips.
- Remove any plants that attract deer.
What is Lyme disease?
Lyme disease ( Lyme borreliosis) is caused by a bacterial infection that is spread by ticks. You may develop Lyme disease if you are bitten by an infected tick. Your risk of developing Lyme disease increases if the infected tick stays attached to your skin for 36 to 48 hours. Lyme disease is the most common disease transmitted by an insect in the United States .
What causes Lyme disease?
Lyme disease is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. When ticks are infected with this bacteria, they can transmit it by biting humans or animals. Once infected with this bacteria, you may develop Lyme disease in a few days or weeks.
In the nymph stage, a tick is about the size of a pinhead and its bite is painless. Lyme disease is usually spread by ticks in this early stage of development ( nymphal stage). Once engorged with blood the tick is somewhat larger and more visible. Adult ticks are also larger and can transmit the disease, but since they are larger and more likely to be seen and removed from the body within a few hours, therefore they are less likely than nymphs to have enough time to transmit the infection.
The risk of Lyme disease is highest during the spring, summer, and early fall months (May through August), when young ( nymphal stage) ticks are most active and people spend more time outdoors.
If you find a tick, remove it by pulling steadily and firmly. Grasp the tick with fine-tipped tweezers, as close to the skin as possible, and pull slowly. Do not try to burn a tick off with a hot match or coat the tick with Vaseline or nail polish. Once the tick is removed, wash the area with soap and water, and apply an antibiotic ointment. Observe the site periodically thereafter.
What are the symptoms of Lyme disease?
The symptoms of Lyme disease in part depend on the stage of the disease. There are three stages:
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 In the first stage the most common symptom is a rash, and the rash is fairly distinctive, it's a very large red rash, usually flat, usually not very itchy and it's not very painful and it sometimes takes the form of a target or a bull's-eye. Up to 80% of people with Lyme disease develop a circular rash at the site of the tick bite. However, that means 20% of individuals will not have a rash. Other early-stage symptoms include fevers and chills.
- The symptoms in the second stage depends on which system is affected. These include neurologic symptoms: headaches; Bell's palsy; weakness in one side of the face; severe back pain that sometimes will mimic sciatica. The cardiac symptoms include profound fatigue and a very slow pulse rate. Joint problems will be manifested by acute arthritis with pain and swelling. In addition, some individuals will experience eye irritation problems.
- In the third and last stage, most of the symptoms are either nervous system or joint symptoms. The nervous system symptoms can be fatigue, forgetfulness, irritability, problems speaking, focusing or concentrating. The joint symptoms in the late stages is more arthritis, swelling, and pain.
Lyme disease may be diagnosed based on your symptoms, your medical history, and whether you have been exposed to infected ticks. Blood tests may be used to confirm a diagnosis but are not usually necessary or practical for every tick bite. Most people who get bitten by a tick will not develop Lyme disease.
What is the treatment for Lyme disease?
If Lyme disease is diagnosed early, antibiotic treatment usually gets rid of the infection quickly and completely so that no further complications develop. If Lyme disease goes undetected or is not properly treated, problems involving the skin, joints, nervous system, and heart may develop weeks, months, or even years later. These problems usually improve after antibiotic treatment, but in rare cases the disease may cause permanent damage. Recent studies show that most people with Lyme disease who are diagnosed early and treated appropriately with antibiotics have no long-term disabilities resulting from the disease.
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