Treatment of borreliosis with antibiotics. Symptoms and treatment of tick-borne borreliosis, or Lyme disease

Some people refer to such a phenomenon as a tick bite, rather carelessly. But if a little insight into the risk of infection from such bites, we can conclude that there is something to worry about. The consequence of a walk along the forest trails may be a disease called borreliosis. In children and adults, it can cause equally dangerous symptoms, which without proper treatment can lead even to disability.

What is understood as tick-borne borreliosis?

Tick borreliosis, also called Lyme disease or Lyme borreliosis, is an infectious disease. It is transmitted by the bite of an ixodid tick. The development of this disease leads to the defeat of various systems and organs. It can be the heart, nervous system, skin or joints. This natural-focal chronic infection was taken from the causative agent of the disease - the Borrelia microorganism. This diagnosis was first established in 1975 among residents of the town of Laima in the US.

If you find signs of borreliosis in time and start treatment with antibiotics, the chances of a hassle-free recovery will be quite high. If the diagnosis determines Lyme disease at a late stage and after that illiterate therapy is performed, borreliosis can go into an intractable chronic form. Therefore, do not be frivolous about the tick bite.

Causes

Ticks (borreliosis infects precisely this insect) is a carrier of three types of microorganisms that can be the causative agents of an infectious disease. For those who wish to protect themselves from a diagnosis such as Lyme disease, one should be attentive to the bites of ixodid ticks that become infected while sucking the blood of animals with an infection. Such ticks are most often found in temperate zones, especially in the territory occupied by mixed forests. As endemic zones where there is a danger of getting a dangerous bite, you can determine the central and western regions of Russia: Western Siberia, the Urals, the Far East. The causative agent of borreliosis is also found in some parts of Europe and the USA.

At the end of spring and early summer, the tick shows the greatest activity. For this reason, for this reason, the maximum number of people is infected with borreliosis. It is worth knowing that an infection is capable of getting into the blood not only with a bite, but also during the rupture of a tick, which occurs due to its incorrect removal.

There are also chances of catching the disease through nutritional transfer. It is a question of the use of dairy products without preliminary thermal processing. Especially dangerous in this regard is raw goat milk. In this case, the disease borreliosis is not transmitted from one infected person to another. But if the tick bites a pregnant woman, the intrauterine transmission of infection can lead to miscarriages, various congenital anomalies and even the death of the baby. Therefore, those who are expecting a child should stay at a distance from potential contamination zones during the spring-summer period.

Mechanism of disease development

As mentioned above, infection itself occurs immediately after the tick has been bitten. Borreliosis, and to be more precise, the microorganism-pathogen, enters the nearest lymph nodes and begins to multiply there. A few days later, the Borrelia get into the flow of blood and are carried along with it throughout the body.

The incubation period of the disease is from 7 to 14 days after the tick bite. The consequence of direct exposure to Borrelia on the lymph nodes may be generalized lymphadenopathy.

As a result, the infection enters the muscles, central nervous system, joints, heart and can stay there for a long time, continuing to multiply. And even in spite of the fact that the immune system actively produces antibodies in order to destroy hostile microorganisms, it is not possible to completely get rid of the disease. Here lies another danger: the immune complexes, to the appearance of which caused the causative agent of borreliosis, are the cause of the autoimmune process. This means that the antibodies are no longer attacked by the virus, but by the tissues of the body, which they must initially protect.

Disease borreliosis: symptoms

The development of this infectious disease can be divided into several stages:

- Incubation period (time from the moment of infection until the appearance of the first symptoms).

- I stage. It begins at a time when microorganisms are moving to the process of reproduction in the lymph nodes.

- II stage. It corresponds to the phase when borrelia spread through the body together with blood.

- III stage. It can be defined as chronic. In this period, a specific system (musculoskeletal or nervous) is affected.

I and II stages are considered to be an early period of the development of the disease, and the third stage is defined as a late period. In this case, this division is conditional, since there is no clear transition between them.

The first stage

Signs of borreliosis at this stage have both local and general manifestations. As common symptoms, nausea, fever (38 ° C), headache, chills, general malaise, aches and pain in the joints and muscles can be determined. In some cases, catarrhal phenomena are possible : coughing, perspiration and sore throat, a slight runny nose.

As for local symptoms, these signs are as follows: on the spot where the bite was made, there is swelling, redness and itching. Also there is the formation of annular erythema, which manifests itself in the greater part of the bitten (70%). It has the form of a dense red formation that expands over several days. From the side the form of erythema resembles a ring of red color. At the same time, the place where the bite was made is noticeable in the center: it is much paler. A round or oval form of redness can have a diameter of 10 to 60 mm.

As for unpleasant sensations, their ring-shaped erythema does not deliver. Only in rare cases, redness bakes and itches. The first stage can last from several days to several months. But in most cases, it should be observed on average 30 days.

The second stage

Expanding the topic: "Tick-borne borreliosis: symptoms and treatment", it is worth paying attention to the stage at which the infection begins to affect the heart, skin, joints and nervous system. The duration of this stage can also be several months. By the time this stage of the disease develops, the symptoms characteristic of the first period disappear. There were recorded cases when ixodial tick-borne borreliosis began immediately from the second stage without the manifestation of a general infectious syndrome and annular erythema.

The defeat of the nervous system at this stage can be determined by the following signs: destructive processes occur in the cranial nerves and roots of the spinal nerves (defined as radiculopathy).

It is also possible the development of serous meningitis, which is nothing but an inflammation of the meninges. It manifests itself as hypersensitivity to irritants, mild headache, photophobia, severe fatigue and muscle tension in the nape of the neck. Another symptom of meningitis may be insomnia.

As for the cranial nerves, most often the others are affected by facial nerves. The fact of defeat will be indicated by the paralysis of the facial muscles: the food falls out of the mouth, the eyes do not open completely, and the face looks visibly skewed. Often a bilateral lesion is fixed, in which the work of one side of the face is initially disrupted and a few days or weeks later - the second. In addition to facial, destructive processes can affect the auditory and optic nerves. This can be expressed in the form of strabismus, deterioration of hearing, vision and disruption of eyeballs.

Considering tick-borne borreliosis, the consequences of which can be more than palpable, it is worth noting that the roots of the spinal nerves in the event of a lesion make themselves felt by a palpable, painful pain, which in the region of the extremities is directed downwards, and in the trunk region assumes a shingling character.

The third stage

This period of the development of the disease can occur even a few years after the bite. At this stage, the borreliosis has the following consequences: atrophic acrodermatitis, damage to the nervous system (encephalopathy, polyneuropathy and encephalomyelitis), chronic arthritis.

In most cases, one particular system is affected: joints, nervous system or skin. But if the disease does not fight, then in the process of development it can lead to a combined defeat of the systems.

When chronic arthritis develops against the background of infection such as ixodic tick-borne borreliosis, destructive effects can be exerted on both large and small joints. In this case, cartilaginous tissue is likely to begin to thin out, deforming processes appear in the joints, and osteoporosis will develop in the osseous structure. In the process of stable destruction, the nearby muscle fibers (chronic myositis) will also be involved.

The defeat of the nervous system in the third stage can manifest itself in different ways. It is possible to develop paresthesia, increase or decrease sensitivity, the occurrence of various pains and even paresis. It makes sense to expect the violation of mental (memory, intelligence) and coordinator functions (balance). The ear can also suffer. Do not exclude disorders of the pelvic organs and the emergence of epileptic seizures. It is worth noting and the fact that most patients experience lethargy, severe fatigue and emotional disorders.

Chronic form of Lyme disease

If you ignore the process of treatment and allow the infection to unimpededly affect the body, the tick borreliosis will pass into a chronic stage. With this form of the disease, there will be a stable wave-like deterioration of the condition. If you select the most common clinical syndromes that develop in the chronic form of borreliosis, then you should pay attention to the following diseases:

Atrophic acrodermatitis;

- different forms of arthritis;

- the defeat of the nervous system with the involvement of any of its structures (there may be lots of destructions);

- lymphocytoma.

Treatment

If the tick borreliosis was suspected, the patient must be hospitalized without delay in an infectious hospital. Especially if the child was hurt. Borreliosis in children can lead to serious complications. And only with the participation of professional physicians is it possible to conduct complex therapy, the purpose of which is to destroy the causative agents of Lyme disease. It is worth remembering that without full and timely treatment, borreliosis can lead to disability.

In this case, the treatment of borreliosis with antibiotics can be defined as the most effective method of exposure to harmful microorganisms. The good news is that in the case of suppressing the infection with antibacterial drugs, even at the first stage there are all chances to avoid the development of cardiac neurological and arthrologic complications.

For this reason, the treatment of borreliosis with antibiotics should begin as early as possible.

If we talk about the early stage of infection, it is worth noting that during this period, the drug "Amoxicillin" is used to neutralize the disease. This therapy lasts for about 20-30 days. Actively used in the initial stage and "tetracycline." If you do not work on erythema, then it can pass for a month, but when Borreliosis is treated with antibiotics, ring reddening can go away much earlier.

Repeatedly proved its effectiveness and a drug such as "Doxycycline." It is most relevant for those patients who have developed skin diseases (benign skin lymphoma, migratory annular erythema).

Those who have a lesion of the nervous system in the second stage are prescribed penicillin. At the first stage, it is effective in the occurrence of fixed arthralgia and myalgia. As the most relevant antibiotic from the group of cephalosporins, it is possible to define "Ceftriaxone". Its use is recommended for both early and late neurological disorders. This drug is relevant for those patients who have developed a high degree of arthrioventicular blockade against the background of Lyme disease or arthritis, including chronic ones.

In general, the treatment of borreliosis with antibiotics has proven itself only from the best side.

Preventive measures

Lyme disease is too serious a diagnosis so that it can be ignored. Therefore, if possible, the best option is to avoid infection and prevent an unpleasant process of exposure to a serious infection on the body.

Prophylaxis of borreliosis means staying in areas where ticks can live, in closed shoes and clothing that completely covers the body (long pants, trousers with puffs, sleeves with cuffs). It will not be superfluous to use repellents that can repel ticks.

If it happened that the mite got on the skin and had time to suck, then you need to visit the infectious disease department of the nearest hospital without delay. They will take blood for Borreliosis and determine if infection has occurred. Conducting tests, without delay, is an indispensable measure that can not be ignored. Otherwise, you will have to face very serious symptoms. Therefore, you should immediately use the recommended medication. Prevention of borreliosis will be more effective if after a bite for 5 days take 2 tablets of the drug "Doxycycline" per day.

Obviously, Lyme disease, for all its destructive potential, can be defeated without much complication if the infected person quickly seeks help from doctors and follows their recommendations.

So, we examined tick-borne borreliosis, the symptoms and treatment of this infection and possible prevention measures. Be attentive to your health!