Clinical Reference Systems: Pediatric Advisor 10.0
Lyme Disease
DESCRIPTION (Diagnosis must be confirmed by a physician.)
Lyme disease is the most common disease spread by a tick
bite. About 7,000 cases are reported each year in the U.S.
Complications from this disease, however, are rare. Giving
up picnics, hikes, and camping because of this pest is an
overreaction to the small risk.
Lyme disease has been divided into three stages. If treated
with antibiotics, it does not progress from one stage to the
next.
Stage I: 3 to 30 days after the tick bite
- A unique rash develops in 60% to 80% of people. The rash
(called erythema migrans) looks like a red ring or
bull's-eye that starts where the person was bitten and
expands in size.
- The rash at the bite becomes larger than 2 inches (5 cm)
across. A rash the size of a dime or quarter is not Lyme
disease.
- The rash is neither painful nor itchy.
- It lasts 2 weeks to 2 months.
- Many children develop smaller spots of rash at several
locations.
- Some children develop a flulike illness including fever,
chills, sore throat, and headache that lasts for several
days.
Stage II: 2 to 12 weeks after the tick bite
- It develops in only 15% of the people who have not
received treatment for the disease.
- The main symptoms are related to the nervous system; for
example, stiff neck (aseptic meningitis), weak facial
muscles (7th nerve paralysis), and weakness or numbness
of the extremities (polyneuritis).
- A few children develop some abnormalities of heart rhythm
(myocarditis).
Stage III: 6 weeks to 2 years after the tick bite
- It develops in about 60% of the people who have not
gotten treatment for the disease.
- Often these people have had no stage-II symptoms.
- The main symptom of this stage is recurrent attacks of
painful, swollen joints (arthritis). It usually affects
the knees. The arthritis becomes chronic in 10% of
children.
THE CAUSE OF LYME DISEASE
Lyme disease is caused by a type of corkscrew-shaped
bacteria called spirochetes. The bacteria are transmitted
by little deer ticks the size of a pinhead, dark brown, and
hard to see. Lyme disease is not carried by the more common
wood tick, which is bigger (1/4 to 1/2 inch in size).
In most states only 2% of deer ticks carry Lyme disease. In
the New England states, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, however,
up to 50% of deer ticks are infected with Lyme disease.
If not disturbed, a tick will remain attached to a person's
skin and feed there for 3 to 6 days. The longer a tick is
attached to a person, the greater the chance a person has of
being infected by the tick. For Lyme disease to be
transmitted, the tick needs to be attached for at least 18
to 24 hours.
TREATMENT OF LYME DISEASE
Lyme disease is usually cured by 14 days of oral antibiotics
if it is diagnosed during stage I. If it is not diagnosed
until stage II or III, a month of antibiotics may be
necessary, and the antibiotic will probably be given by
injection into a muscle or vein.
Antibiotics should be given to any youngster who develops a
rash characteristic of Lyme disease within one month of
having a tick bite or within one month of being in a
high-risk area. Remember that most deer tick bites do not
pass on Lyme disease.
PREVENTION OF TICK BITES
Ticks like to hide in underbrush and shrubbery, especially
during spring and early summer. Children and adults who are
hiking, picnicking, or playing in tick-infested areas should
wear long pants and tuck the ends of the pants into their
socks. Apply an insect repellent to shoes and socks. While
you are outside look for ticks on each other every 2 to
3 hours and remove any ticks on the clothing or exposed
skin.
Because a tick's bite is painless and doesn't itch, a person
usually does not know that he or she has been bitten by a
tick. Immediately after being outside or at least once a
day, check the bare skin. Ticks like hair and dark places,
so carefully check the scalp, neck, armpit, and groin. A
brisk shower will remove any tick that isn't firmly
attached.
If you find any ticks, remove them immediately. Removing
ticks promptly may prevent infection because the tick must
be attached to the skin at least 18 to 24 hours before it
can transmit Lyme disease. Also, a tick is easier to remove
before it becomes firmly attached.
To prevent the spread of Lyme disease by your dog, wash him
with an anti-tick soap during the spring and summer months.
Check for ticks on him if he goes with you on a hike. Pull
off any ticks that you find.
TICK REMOVAL
The simplest and quickest way to remove a tick is to pull it
off. Use tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as
possible (try to get a grip on its head). Pull gently and
steadily upward until the tick releases its grip. Do not
twist the tick or jerk it suddenly. Such maneuvers can
break off the tick's head or mouth parts. Do not squeeze
the tweezers to the point of crushing the tick because the
secretions released may spread disease.
If you don't have tweezers, pull the tick off in the same
way using your fingers, a loop of thread around the tick's
jaws, or a needle. Some tiny ticks need to be scraped off
with a knife blade or the edge of a credit card.
Sometimes the tick's body comes off but the head stays in
the skin. You must remove the head also. Use a sterile
needle to remove the head just as you would to remove a
sliver.
Dispose of the tick by returning it to nature or flushing it
down the toilet. You don't need to save the tick for
positive identification. Don't crush ticks with your
fingers because crushing increases your chance of getting a
disease.
Wash the area of the tick bite and your hands with soap and
water after you remove the tick.
A recent study showed that attached ticks do not back out
when covered with petroleum jelly, fingernail polish, or
rubbing alcohol. It was thought that this would block the
tick's breathing pores and take its mind off eating.
Unfortunately, ticks breathe only a few times per hour. The
study also found that touching the tick with a hot match did
not make the tick detach. In fact the hot match could make
the tick vomit infected secretions into the wound.
CALL YOUR CHILD'S PHYSICIAN IMMEDIATELY IF:
- You can't remove the tick or the tick's head.
- Fever or widespread rash occurs in the 2 weeks after a
tick bite.
- Your child starts acting very sick.
CALL YOUR CHILD'S PHYSICIAN DURING OFFICE HOURS IF:
- You think your child might have Lyme disease.
- You have other questions or concerns.
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