Health & Wellness – Lyme Disease: Prevention, Monitoring, and Treatment

Lyme disease was given this name because it was… Lyme, a town in Connecticut, in the United States, where several patients who developed symptoms of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis were studied between 1975 and 1977. The researchers fully described the infection and its association with the tick vector. Also known as Lyme borreliosisIt is a disease that can affect the skin, nervous system, heart, joints and muscles. It is caused by bacteria of the genus Borrelia, and there are several treatments depending on the stage of the disease.

CRMVT Paris et région Nord is the reference center for tick-borne diseases in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, near Orly, south of Paris. This center brings together health professionals from various specialties to improve care for patients with suspected Lyme disease.

And that’s how you manage too TAC-TIQUES DATABASE Which collects, among other things, epidemiological data on this disease in France, which has been increasing in recent years.

In France, estimates indicate this Only 6% of tick bites It can lead to a bacterial infection from Lyme borreliosis.

Prevent tick bites

To avoid tick bites when walking in the countryside, forests or parks, wear light-colored clothing that covers your legs and arms, as if you were protecting yourself from mosquitoes. Wear closed-toed shoes and a hat, and if possible, use an appropriate repellent.

It is then important to examine the body for one or more signs and examine your pet as well. If you find one, gently remove it using special upward tweezers. Cleanse the wound with soap and water. The important thing above all is to remove the tick’s body because it is in the abdomen where the bacteria live.

After that, it is necessary to observe the bite area for at least a month to look for the site of the bite “Erythema migrans”– Redness spreading around the site of the bite, more than 5 cm in diameter. It is painless and then goes away.

Don’t forget to take pictures of the injury to show the doctor. If erythema migrans occurs, it is necessary to prescribe antibiotics adapted to this disease.

Lyme disease patients who are diagnosed early and given appropriate antibiotic treatment usually recover quickly and completely. A key element of early diagnosis is recognizing this characteristic rash of Lyme disease.

Then there are other treatments for more advanced stages of the disease, but in this case you should consult specialists or go to specialized centers similar to CRMVT.

he CRMVT Paris and the Northern RegionIt is the reference center for tick-borne diseases and is located in Villeneuve Saint-Georges, near Orly, south of Paris. It is one of five centers of this type in France.

Pauline Arias He is an infectious diseases physician and works at CRMVT. She explained to our microphones what this disease is, how to prevent and monitor it, and above all, she gave us the reassuring message that there are currently sufficient treatments and that Lyme disease, contrary to what is commonly believed, is not fatal.

Listen to the interview with Dr. Pauline Arias here: