Tick-borne borreliosis - symptoms, therapy and possible complications

Tick-borne borreliosis, or Lyme disease, is an infectious, in the vast majority of cases, vector-borne disease. The symptomatology of the pathology depends on the severity and nature of the response of the immune system to the penetration of pathogenic bacteria. The main symptoms of tick-borne borreliosis include hyperthermia, headaches and various allergic reactions. In the absence of medical care, the disease progresses rapidly, disrupting the cardiovascular and nervous system, as well as the musculoskeletal system. With timely treatment at a hospital, Lyme disease can be completely cured. Therapy performed in the last stage often does not help prevent the development of irreversible complications.

Carriers of infection

The clinical picture of tick-borne borreliosis manifests itself in humans in 1-2 weeks after tick biteinfected with gram-negative bacteria spirochetes. The severity of symptoms depends on many factors, one of which is a type of carrier of infection. The pathology is spread by ticks of the genus Ixodes, and their degree of infection can vary at different times of the year. Lyme borreliosis is one of the most common diseases transmitted to humans through the bites of infected arthropods. What ticks, carriers of borreliosis, are found in our country:

• Borrelia afzelii;
• Borrelia garinii.

In South and North America, another variety, Borrelia burgdorferi, often becomes the carrier of borreliosis. Ticks, the spread of pathogenic bacteria, become infected from domestic or wild birds, rodents, and animals. Goats, cats, rats do not always get sick after infection. Their body is at the stage of bacteriocarrier, therefore, it is impossible to determine in appearance whether the animal is a spirochete carrier.

Warning: Neglect of medical care after a bite of a spirochete-infected tick is more likely to cause disability. Doctors often have to state the death of a person in the last stage of Lyme disease.

How can I get Lyme disease?

Ticks are activated with the onset of heat. Their numbers increase in spring and summer, when people begin to massively visit the forests and shores of water bodies - habitats of carriers of infection. Recently, infections have become more frequent, even in early March and late October. Scientists attribute this not only to global warming, but also to the ability of arthropods to adapt to adverse conditions.

The main route of transmission of borreliosis is the bite of a tick infected with spirochetes. But there are other transmission methods:

• pathology develops after eating raw milk from infected animals;
• pathogenic bacteria are transmitted to the child in the womb infected with tick-borne borreliosis.

Despite the fact that Lyme disease refers to infectious diseases, immunity to it is practically not produced or does not differ in any resistance. A person who has recently recovered from borreliosis can become ill a few days after a second bite.

What happens after a bite

The causative agents of infectious pathology penetrate the human body through the saliva of a tick secreted by a bite. Once in the systemic circulation, pathogenic bacteria spread throughout all internal organs, lymph nodes, bone and joint tissues. In the pathological process involved:

• nerve pathways;
• shell of the brain.

After the death of pathogenic microorganisms, endotoxins are released. The immune system responds to foreign proteins by producing antibodies from different classes of immunoglobulins. After some time, the flagellar flagellar antigen of bacteria appears in the body. This causes a significant increase in the produced antibodies. Immune complexes enlarge and begin to circulate in damaged tissues, triggering inflammatory processes. Lymphoplasmic infiltrates are formed, affecting the peripheral ganglia, spleen, skin, subcutaneous tissue and lymph nodes. At this stage, all the signs of borreliosis appear after a tick bite.

Severe consequences of infectious pathology

As tick-borne borreliosis progresses, the internal organs and the musculoskeletal system of a person are gradually affected, especially the joints. The danger of the disease lies in the disappearance of symptoms at a certain stage. Until recently, a person suffered from unbearable headaches and skin itching, but suddenly all the negative signs disappear without a trace. A visit to the doctor is canceled, and at this time, pathogenic bacteria actively multiply in the body. It is not surprising that the severity of newly manifested symptoms is much higher.

If a person was not promptly provided with medical care, then the probability of the transition of the disease into a sluggish chronic form is high. At this stage, tick-borne borreliosis has already provoked numerous complications. Pathology is characterized by the development of the following consequences of the absence of treatment:

• heart rhythm disturbance;
• decreased muscle tone in the upper and lower extremities;
• tremor, epileptic seizures;
• decrease in visual acuity and (or) hearing;
• damage to bones and joints with their further destruction;
• loss of sensitivity of the skin;
• acute sludge chronic heart failure;
• paralysis of the facial nerves of various localization.

The consequences of borreliosis after a tick bite are reversible in the initial stages of the disease. Parenteral administration of pharmacological preparations with antibacterial activity suppresses inflammatory processes. Difficulties are presented in the treatment of chronic Lyme disease or its last stage.

Warning: Gradually spreading in the body, endotoxins contribute to the formation of infectious foci in all internal organs and joint tissues. Even the destruction of pathogenic bacteria does not guarantee a complete and quick recovery of the body.

Clinical picture

Symptoms of tick-borne borreliosis vary significantly at different stages of the disease. The severity of the signs also depends on the person’s age, state of health and the presence of chronic pathologies in history. For example, Lyme disease is much more severe in children than in adults because of immunity that has not yet formed and high permeability of blood vessels. Since the disease is constantly progressing, the symptoms appear as damage to certain tissues or organs:

• at the first stage, pathogenic bacteria actively multiply, causing slight discomfort;
• at the second stage, pathogenic microbes spread throughout the body, provoking the development of a clinical picture of general intoxication;
• at the third stage, the work of the central and peripheral nervous system, as well as the musculoskeletal system, is disturbed, therefore, very characteristic symptoms of borreliosis after a tick bite in a person arise.

The first signs of infection often resemble the clinical picture of any respiratory disease, which can make diagnosis difficult.

Recommendation: A person practically does not feel pain when a tick bites. This causes a late detection of infection. A definite clue may be a strong redness of the skin at the site of a bite that occurs within a few days.

First stage

In the first stage of Lyme disease, the symptoms are rather blurry or may not appear at all. At the site of the bite, the skin turns red, an annular erythema is formed, gradually increasing in size. Over time, its color loses its intensity. At the site of the bite, the skin begins to thin, extensive swelling occurs. In an effort to remove foreign proteins, the immune system gives the answer in the form of such symptoms:

• rise in temperature above subfebrile values ​​(38.6 ° C);
• weakness, fatigue, drowsiness;
• decreased motor activity in children;
• pain in the joints, muscles, head;
• dyspeptic disorders with hyperthermia - nausea, diarrhea, vomiting.

If antibiotic therapy is carried out in the first stage, then the symptoms disappear without additional intake of any medications.

This is interesting: The disease is characterized by the appearance of secondary erythema during the spread of infectious agents in the body. Rounded spots are found in areas with thin skin - near the nipples and earlobes.

Second stage

At this stage, pathogenic bacteria have already spread throughout the body, forming inflammatory foci in the soft and articular tissues. The infection affects the nervous and cardiovascular systems, the gastrointestinal tract. The roots of the spinal nerves are also damaged, having a negative effect on the condition of the spinal column. The person has the following symptoms:

• hyperthermia;
• dyspeptic disorders, digestive disorders and peristalsis;
• emotional instability, increased nervous excitability;
• decreased visual acuity, fear of light;
• heart rhythm disturbance;
• violation of innervation, especially facial muscles;
• myocardial inflammation;
• memory loss, inability to concentrate.

Infection affects liver cells, provoking their death, disrupting metabolic processes. And damage to articular tissues causes arthritis, arthrosis, and polyarthralgia. Treatment of borreliosis after a tick bite at this stage is impossible without taking drugs to relieve symptoms and eliminate the effects of pathology.

Third stage

On this, the long-term negative effect of infectious agents disrupted the operation of all human vital systems. Irreversible lesions of the internal organs and all parts of the spinal column developed, the work of the autonomic and central nervous system was upset. The factors that provoke this condition can be attributed to:

• slow spread of tick borreliosis pathogens;
• predisposition to a pronounced response of the immune system to the penetration of foreign proteins;
• intracellular development of pathogenic microorganisms.

If a person was bitten by a tick patient with borreliosis, then an incorrectly drawn up therapeutic regimen or complete absence of treatment contribute to the chronicity of the disease. This type of pathology is characterized by frequent interchangeable relapses and remissions, gradually leading to such conditions:

• atrophy of the skin;
• the formation of seals in the lymph nodes;
• thinning and increased fragility of bones.

At this stage of Lyme disease, correctly conducted pathogenetic therapy is of great importance. But in the vast majority of cases, the consequences that have arisen are irreversible.

Diagnostics

At the first stage of the examination, the doctor examines the patient and studies the history of the disease. An initial diagnosis will speed up the confirmation of a tick attack by patients. A sign of Lyme disease will be the presence of characteristic erythema on the skin. Diagnosis can be complicated by the absence of any clinical picture at the initial stage of infection.

The doctor must prescribe laboratory tests of blood and urine. If the patient managed to remove the carrier of the infection, then the tick is analyzed for borreliosis. But even the most advanced diagnostic methods sometimes cannot detect the presence of pathogenic bacteria in the systemic circulation or lymphatic fluid. In some cases, a biopsy of a piece of soft tissue is performed. Also, when diagnosing Lyme disease, the following instrumental studies are shown:

• radiography to detect changes in cartilage and soft tissues;
• magnetic resonance imaging to detect damage to the heart, blood vessels, brain and gastrointestinal tract.

Using serological methods for studying biological samples, the development of tick-borne borreliosis can be indirectly confirmed. For this, a polymerase chain reaction is analyzed to detect pathogenic bacteria related to spirochetes.

Treatment

If a tick analysis for borreliosis turned out to be positive, the doctor draws up a therapeutic regimen that includes taking pharmacological preparations and conducting physiotherapy. A comprehensive approach is applied to the treatment of Lyme disease, combining the diverse effect of drugs on the patient's body:

• decreased severity of symptoms;
• destruction of pathogenic bacteria;
• elimination of negative consequences.

Single and daily dosages of drugs, as well as the duration of their administration, are determined by the attending physician. It takes into account the stage of the disease, health status and age of the patient.

Antibiotic therapy

The use of antibacterial agents at the initial stage of pathology contributes to a quick and complete recovery. If the disease is accompanied by skin rashes, then it is advisable to use antibiotics from the group of penicillins or tetracyclines:

• Tetracycline;
• Benzyl penicillin;
• Amoxicillin;
• Ampicillin
• Doxycycline.

Since the causative agents of tick-borne borreliosis are able to develop resistance to such antibiotics, the prescription of combined drugs has been practiced recently:

• Augmentin;
• Panklav;
• Amoxiclav.

They contain clavulanic acid, which prevents the development of resistance of microorganisms. In the presence of an allergy to penicillins or tetracyclines, borreliosis is treated with antibiotics after a tick bite, which belong to the latest generation of cephalosporins:

• Cefixime;
• Ceftriaxone;
• Cephalexin.

The disadvantage of these antibacterial drugs is a significant number of side effects. Long-term use of these drugs can provoke the development of sensitization reactions, nausea, vomiting, and peristalsis.

Symptomatic therapy

Since tick-borne borreliosis almost always proceeds against the background of general intoxication of the body, then doctors prescribe the following drugs to eliminate the symptoms:

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - Ibuprofen, Nimesulide, Diclofenac, Meloxicam. NSAIDs reduce fever, quickly stop pain and inflammation;
• Analgesics and antispasmodics - Spazgan, Drotaverin, Papaverine, Spazgan, Ketorol, Baralgin. Drugs can effectively reduce the severity of pain in the head, joints, gastrointestinal tract;
• Glucocorticosteroids - Dexamethasone, Prednisolone.Medicines are prescribed to patients with the development of severe inflammatory processes, as well as the treatment of autoimmune pathologies.

Before treating borreliosis after a tick bite, the overall health of the patient is assessed. If it is severe, detoxification therapy is carried out to remove toxic compounds from the body using intravenous infusions of Ringer's solution, sodium chloride, Trisoli.

Recommendation: In order to improve the patient’s well-being and speed up recovery, a course intake of balanced vitamin complexes with microelements Supradina, Complivita, Vitrum, Centrum, Macrovita is practiced.

Preventative measures

Prevention of borreliosis after a tick bite consists, first of all, in correctly selected clothes for walking in the forest, square, park. It should be of a light tone and fit tightly to the body, protecting the neck, chest, wrists and ankles. Ticks often fall on a person from the branches of trees, so it is necessary to have a headgear, better than a scarf. The following measures also belong to preventive measures:

• the use of creams, lotions, sprays that repel blood-sucking arthropods;
• walks only in those places where there are no weeds and dense thickets of bushes;
• periodic inspection of themselves and companions for the presence of sucking or crawling ticks.

You can not bring home flowers, branches or medicinal plants, because arthropods can be in them. It is advisable to choose for recreation or outdoor walks places where grass is constantly mowing, treatment with special anti-mite agents is performed.

Tip: An excellent prevention of the development of severe stages of Lyme disease will be timely treatment in a hospital facility. To speed up the diagnosis and the start of treatment will help preserve the detected tick.