Just recently, singer-songwriter Justin Bieber shared a candid post that stunned all of his millions of followers. On January 9, 2020, Bieber admits he has Lyme disease.
The news came as a shock to everyone both from the entertainment industry and the fans that have supported Bieber throughout the year ever since he debuted 11 years ago in 2009. He was diagnosed with the incurable illness a month after a bite he had with the infected tick, as revealed by Forbes.
So, what is Lyme disease? Is this disease really dangerous? What are the factors that cause this illness? Here are some of the things you need to know.
WHAT IS LYME DISEASE?
Lyme disease is an inflammatory disease or bacterial infection that shows early signs and symptoms that include headache, rash, chills, fever, joint pain, and swollen lymph nodes. The signs are comparable to flu, which makes this illness a lot more difficult to diagnose.
Once unmanaged at an early stage, the patient will eventually suffer from cardiac and neurological disorders in the coming months or years, aside from the pains of having arthritis, according to Web MD. Symptoms vary from one person to the other.
WHAT CAUSES THE ILLNESS?
Lyme disease is an illness we can get from a bite of an Ixodes tick, which is also commonly known as the deer tick or black-legged tick. Once the tick is infected with the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and bit its host, the bacteria will flow directly into the host's bloodstream. Most of the places that have high cases ever recorded are Scotland and south-east and south-west England. People who often loves to explore the outdoors are those that are more prone to this disease.
WHAT ARE THE TREATMENTS FOR LYME DISEASE?
Lyme disease can still be cured in an early stage. For the early stage of the disease, experts prescribed different antibiotic medicines to fight off the underlying effects of the disease. These include doxycycline, amoxicillin, and cefuroxime. Doxycycline is given to people who are eight years and older, while amoxicillin and cefuroxime for adults, kids, breast-feeding women, and pregnant ones.
Lyme disease is quite common in Wales and England, as about 1,000 new cases of the disease are recorded every year. So, experts advise everyone to at least protect yourself from the tick bites to keep yourself secured from acquiring the disease. One can do that by covering up, especially while walking through grassy and wooded areas.
