Lyme disease used to be a spring and summer worry in woodsy areas of the northeastern United States. Not anymore. It’s now spread nationwide.
You get Lyme disease from bacteria transmitted via tick bite (the tick itself is so tiny that chances are, you’ll never see it). After that comes a rash: it looks like a bulls-eye where the bug bit. Most people don’t get sick, but you can develop chills, fever, headaches and muscle pain. All of this can be quickly eliminated by antibiotic treatment. But if you have no early symptoms, it’s still possible to develop joint inflammation called Lyme arthritis a few weeks – or even months – after you’ve been bitten, says Aristides Cruz, M.D., chief orthopedic resident at Yale-New Haven Hospital.
Writing in the February issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, Dr. Cruz explains that Lyme arthritis occurs when the bacteria that causes the disease invades the joints and triggers inflammation. Left untreated, this process can damage cartilage within the joints.
Dr. Cruz warns doctors to be on the lookout for Lyme arthritis in patients who complain of stiff, swollen joints. As for the rest of us, his advice is to pay attention to joint symptoms – don’t just assume that you’re arthritis prone, particularly if you’re under 55. It isn’t easy for you and me to distinguish between Lyme arthritis and age-related osteoarthritis. However, Dr. Cruz notes that with Lyme arthritis, a single joint, usually a knee, is affected (but sometimes an ankle, elbow, hip and wrist are targets).
But here’s a tip gleaned from my telephone conversation with him: if your joints are swollen, stiff and sore but not really painful, Lyme arthritis may be the explanation. It doesn’t hurt as severely as osteoarthritis can. Even if you never noticed a rash but suspect that you could have been exposed to ticks, tell your doctor. If Lyme disease turns out to be the cause, a single course of antibiotic should set things right.
CONNECT THE DOTS
Here’s where you can learn more about Lyme disease. The Lyme Disease Foundation has information on protecting yourself from tick bites as well as a state-by-state breakdown of reported cases of the disease.
PREVIOUS POST
