Pennsylvania Ag Connection - Doctor's Advice on How to Protect Against Lyme Disease

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Doctor's Advice on How to Protect Against Lyme Disease
Pennsylvania Ag Connection - 06/22/2018

Harrisburg, Pa., infectious disease physician John Goldman, MD, has seen his share of patients with Lyme disease. His experience has taught him that the earlier Lyme is diagnosed, the easier it is to treat.

"The most important thing about Lyme is to be aware of it," Dr. Goldman says.

That's why Dr. Goldman is working with the Pennsylvania Medical Society's "Building Healthy Communities" public health initiative to raise awareness for what Pennsylvanians can do to keep themselves from becoming the next statistic.

Lyme disease is carried by ticks, which transmit the disease to people by burying into skin. Tick season typically peaks when the weather heats up, so June and July serve as prime months.

Pennsylvania is the hotbed for Lyme. Nearly a quarter of all Lyme disease cases in the U.S. take place in the Keystone State. Between 2010-2016, the number of cases in Pennsylvania increased by 173 percent (3,298 to 8,988), according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Goldman offers these simple tips:

- Avoid tick infested habitats.

- Prevent tick attachment by tucking pants into socks, using insect repellants, wearing light-colored clothing, and, staying near the center of trails if walking along grassy paths.

- Perform daily tick checks.

"Daily checks are important since a tick has to be attached for 24 hours to transmit Lyme disease," Dr. Goldman says.

Performing a tick check involves looking over your entire body to see if ticks are attached and pulling them off. When you remove a tick, Dr. Goldman says you should pull it off using a long tweezer.

"It will eventually fall out," Dr. Goldman says. "Since you've separated the tick's head from its stomach, it won't continue to expose you to Lyme disease."

You should not burn or smother the tick, Dr. Goldman says.

"Unfortunately, that makes the tick stressed," he explains. "When ticks get stressed, they throw up, and they throw up into you. Most of the Lyme disease is in the tick's gut. If you make the tick throw up, you're probably putting more of the Lyme bacteria into you."

About half of Lyme disease victims do not remember being bitten by a tick, says Dr. Goldman. Because treating the disease early produces better results, it's important to recognize the symptoms of Lyme right away and see a physician.

Early warning signs within the first 30 days include a rash, fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes. Other longer-term signs include nerve pain, arthritis, and heart palpitations.

Stages of Lyme disease

Dr. Goldman says there are three stages of Lyme disease -- acute, early, and late.

Signs that you have Acute Lyme Disease are the classic bulls-eye rash or unexplained fever, Dr. Goldman says.

If you have Early Lyme Disease, Dr. Goldman says you're more likely to have bulls-eye rashes all over your body, as well as a headache, a stiff neck, or joint pain.

The most feared stage is Late Stage Lyme. Dr. Goldman says Late Stage Lyme often causes swelling in hips, knees, or other large joints. It also causes short-term memory loss or depression.

Learn more on the Pennsylvania Medical Society's website at www.pamedsoc.org/Lyme.

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