May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month
This month is Lyme Disease Awareness Month, a condition that affects up to 400 Irish people every year.
New research by BMC Public Health suggests that women may be more susceptible to Lyme disease. This may be because of lifestyle choices, biological factors, or exposure to tick-infested areas.
Being aware of the symptoms is essential, but so few of us are aware of them.
The early symptoms include a circular a red rash around a tick bite. The rash can appear three months after you’ve been bitten by a tick, but most will appear in the first four weeks.
However, not every patient will get this rash.
According to the HSE, people may suffer from flu-like symptoms in the early stages of Lyme disease.
These symptoms include:
- feeling hot and shivery, or a high temperature
- headaches
- muscle and joint pain
- tiredness and loss of energy
Only around 5% of ticks carry the Lyme disease bacteria in Ireland.
It’s important to remember that most tick bites are harmless, but you should be cautious of high-risk areas like grassy and wooded areas and sand dunes.
The diagnosis and treatment
It can be difficult to diagnose, but a blood test can confirm if you have Lyme disease or not. However, they’re not always accurate in the early stages of the disease.
Your doctor may need to repeat your blood test if this is the case.
The good news is that Lyme disease is treatable, and doctors will prescribe antibiotics if they think you have the disease.
Some patients will be referred to the hospital if symptoms are severe.
Others will get better after antibiotic treatment, but it may take months or even longer for their symptoms to clear up completely.
