25-09 - Flipbook - Page 46
Mi n i str i es
Lyme disease is becoming more common. But
its symptoms aren't always easy to spot
Climate change is contributing to the global rise of Lyme disease. But many physicians are
struggling to recognise its symptoms. Science writer Sue Nelson looks at the research after
her own encounter with the disease.
Ticks are blood sucking parasites and second only to mosquitos when it comes to transmitting diseases to humans. But when that bite happens, along with the potential risk of infection and serious illness, you may not even feel it.
These spider-like arachnids, with eight legs and a body no bigger than an apple seed, can
secrete an anti-inflammatory substance to disguise its feeding. This allows hoards of disease-causing pathogens that may have infected the tick beforehand to freeload a ride
into your bloodstream.
The most well-known of these freeloaders is the spiral-shaped bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi
which causes Borreliosis or Lyme disease. It is named after the town of Lyme in Connecticut
in the United States, where it was first identified in 1975 after both children and adults began reporting symptoms similar to arthritis.
Lyme, however, is a disease with many more symptoms, and these can get more varied if
treatment is not prompt. "It's a type of bacteria that penetrates every tissue in the body,"
says Jack Lambert, a consultant in infectious diseases, professor of medicine at University
College Dublin and founder of the Lyme Resource Centre.
"It goes to the brain, it goes to the joints. It goes to the muscles, the nervous system, the peripheral nervous system, the bladder and the gut," Lambert says.
Lyme disease can also cause facial paralysis, heart problems, severe fatigue and painful
pins and needles in hands and feet. As a result, the range of symptoms means not every
patient is taken seriously.
Sue Nelson
