Diagnosis And Treatment Of Lyme Disease

A rapid increase in the number of tick-borne illnesses, particularly in the Northeast but in other parts of the country as well, has public health specialists concerned. Of particular concern is Lyme disease, an illness first identified during an epidemic in Lyme, Conn., in 1975, which sometimes leads to long-term heart disease and arthritis. Since its identification, Lyme disease has been found in 14 states mostly concentrated in the Northeast, upper Midwest and the Pacific Coast.

Also of concern is babesiosis, a generally mild illness that can turn deadly when victims are 60 years or older, especially if their spleens have been removed or are malfunctioning. Both are transmitted to humans by the Northern deer tick, which lives its adult life on deer.

The tick's dependence on deer explains why the disease is becoming more common. By the turn of the century, the northern deer had almost been eliminated from the Northeast because the area's forests had been cut down for farming. As farming became less common in the Northeast, the forests regrew and the deer became abundant once again.

Ticks can bite at any time of year except during very cold weather, but the most dangerous season for Lyme disease begins in mid-April to mid-May and lasts until well into August. It is during this period that immature tick forms called nymphs are at their most active.

You can be bitten even in your own yard, but this will be less likely if the grass is cut short and shrubbery trimmed. If you venture into fields or woods in Lyme-disease country, stick to the middle of trails and roads as much as possible. Also wear a hat and clothing that covers the rest of you. Tightly woven slippery fabrics (polyester knits, for example) are preferable to denim and sweatshirt-type materials because they are harder for ticks to grab on to.

Tuck pants bottoms into socks to protect your lower legs from exposure, and spray clothing with an insect repellent containing DEET or permethrin. And wear a light-colored outfit so the darkish nymphs will be easier to see.

Lyme-carrying ticks are about pinpoint size and so can easily go unnoticed when they first dig into your skin. Use a "buddy system" when coming in from a walk in the woods, inspecting the back and other visually inaccessible parts of your partner's body for ticks. If you see something that looks like a small, flat mole, investigate; it could be a tick.

Lyme Disease