Disease Information for Lyme disease carditis

An infectious disease caused by a spirochete, BORRELIA BURGDORFERI, which is transmitted chiefly by Ixodes dammini (see IXODES) and pacificus ticks in the United States and Ixodes ricinis (see IXODES) in Europe;It is a disease with early and late cutaneous manifestations plus involvement of the nervous system, heart, eye, and joints in variable combinations;Heart complications are usually conduction disorders;AV-heart block,myocarditis,pericarditis,-----------------------------------Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected blacklegged ticks; Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans; If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system; Lyme disease is diagnosed based on symptoms, physical findings (eg, rash), and the possibility of exposure to infected ticks; laboratory testing is helpful in the later stages of disease; Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with a few weeks of antibiotics; The first sign of infection is usually a circular rash called erythema migrans or EM; This rash occurs in approximately 70-80% of infected persons and begins at the site of a tick bite after a delay of 3-30 days; A distinctive feature of the rash is that it gradually expands over a period of several days, reaching up to 12 inches (30 cm) across; The center of the rash may clear as it enlarges, resulting in a bull’s-eye appearance; It may be warm but is not usually painful; Some patients develop additional EM lesions in other areas of the body after several days; Patients also experience symptoms of fatigue, chills, fever, headache, and muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes; Untreated, the infection may spread to other parts of the body within a few days to weeks, producing an array of discrete symptoms

[cdc_gov 2005]------------------------------------------------------------

Heart Block and myocarditis may occur with Lyme disease

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