Lyme Disease Symptoms And Treatment: Is It Contagious, Curable Or Fatal?

Lyme disease is caused by the bacteria carried by the black-legged deer tick. Once transmitted to the human host, the bacteria may cause flu-like symptoms and attack many tissues in the body. If left untreated, Lyme disease can damage any organ of the body, including the heart and brain.

Borrelia burgdorferi is the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. This is often carried by ticks that transmit the bacteria by attaching themselves to the human body for about 36 to 48 hours.

The most common sign of Lyme disease is a bulls-eye rash. This appears as an expanding red area that clears at the center, forming a bull's eye pattern. The rash expands over time and feels warm to the touch, according to Mayo Clinic.

The rash is often accompanied by fever, fatigue, body aches and sore throat. If left untreated for weeks or months, other symptoms of Lyme disease may arise, including joint pain, meningitis, paralysis on one side of the face and impaired muscle movement.

Fortunately, patients who receive treatment during the early stages of Lyme disease usually recover rapidly and completely when given the appropriate antibiotics. Doctors may prescribe doxycycline, cefuroxime or amoxicillin to their patients and advise them to take the medicine between 10 to 21 days, as per WebMD.

Late-stage Lyme disease can still be treated with antibiotics, but the medicine will have to be injected directly through the patient's vein (IV). This method will enable the medicine to enter straight into the bloodstream and immediately take effect.

Deaths caused by Lyme disease are rare, although it is still possible. Igenex has learned that the majority of the deaths related to the disease are caused by complications brought about by the infection, and not the disease itself.

There is no evidence that the disease is contagious and can spread from person to person, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This means that an individual won't get infected by touching, kissing, or having intercourse with a person who has Lyme disease.

Untreated Lyme disease can spread from a pregnant mother to her unborn baby, although this rarely happens. Moreover, Lyme disease has also been found to be capable of living in the blood that is stored for donation. Individuals currently being treated for Lyme disease should not donate blood, noted the CDC.