According to the statements of leading medical experts, the tick is one of the most dangerous animals in the whole world. Thus, a tick can transmit its pathogens to the human organism with a single bite. According to current studies, more and more people are falling ill with neuroborreliosis, which can be life-threatening.
What is neuroborreliosis?
Neuroborreliosis is a dangerous infectious disease. A special type of bacteria is responsible for the occurrence of the individual symptoms. Since the individual bacteria spread relatively quickly in the human organism, several organs are often affected by the infection at the same time. For example, neuroborreliosis can lead to permanent damage to the eyes. In addition, the heart of affected patients may also lose its efficiency. In order to prevent the occurrence of neuroborreliosis, the possible causes must be reliably combated.
Causes
As mentioned earlier, neuroborreliosis appears as the result of a tick bite. The responsible bacteria are transferred to the respective body during the bite. In the Federal Republic of Germany, approximately 35 percent of all ticks are infected with the dangerous pathogen. Since a large number of tick bites are not realized by the affected persons, early treatment is not carried out in most cases. In addition, only a small number of infected individuals develop clinical symptoms. To prevent multiple organ failure, for example, neuroborreliosis must be diagnosed as soon as possible.
Symptoms, complaints, and signs
In acute neuroborreliosis, the first symptoms appear a few weeks to a few months after the bite of an infected tick. The bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi triggers inflammation of the meninges and nerve roots of the spinal cord, which is associated with severe pain along the affected nerve tracts. The pain, which occurs mainly at night, is often accompanied by sensory disturbances, paraesthesia and paralysis. Paralysis of the facial nerve is particularly common: Doctors refer to this as unilateral or bilateral facial paresis. Typical signs are drooping corners of the mouth, incomplete closure of the eyelids and the inability to frown. Occasionally, taste disturbances may also occur. Inflammation of other cranial nerves may be manifested by hearing loss or paralysis of the eye muscles. Chronic neuroborreliosis develops over months or years. It is characterized by inflammation of the brain and spinal cord that progresses slowly and causes coordination problems, gait instability, and bladder emptying problems. Similarly, language skills may be impaired, and hearing may also decrease. Occasionally, epileptic seizures occur as a result of neuroborreliosis, and impaired concentration, clouding of consciousness, and hallucinations may indicate a brain-organic psychosyndrome. In some cases, sufferers develop only very nonspecific symptoms, such as severe fatigue, decreased performance, and listlessness, which can easily be mistaken for depression.
Diagnosis and course
Diagnosis of neuroborreliosis proves to be extremely difficult in most cases. Nevertheless, an appropriate examination can be performed by the family physician. During the examination, among other things, the previous course of the disease is subjected to closer scrutiny. In order for a targeted therapy to be initiated, the patient must, among other things, name the symptoms that have appeared so far. For example, headaches can be a first sign of neuroborreliosis. It is not uncommon for affected patients to complain of a dominant feeling of physical weakness. Following the interview, the attending physician palpates the lymph nodes of the affected person. Swelling in the area of the lymph nodes can also be considered a first sign of neuroborreliosis. During the physical examination, the attending physician can also determine possible bite wounds. If there is an initial suspicion of neuroborreliosis, a blood test must be initiated. Only after all examinations have been performed can neuroborreliosis be reliably treated.
Complications
Neuroborreliosis is already a complication of Lyme disease, in which the brain and nerve tracts are infected with the Lyme bacterium. This complication occurs in approximately ten percent of Lyme disease infections. However, even within this particular form of Lyme disease infection, there are still different courses. As a rule, neuroborreliosis is easily curable with appropriate treatment if the bacterium is completely eliminated. However, in approximately five to ten percent of all persons affected by neuroborreliosis, an infection of the spinal cord and brain can also occur. In these cases, the course of the disease is even more complicated. In these cases, the inflammatory processes usually last longer than six months. However, in many patients there is still a good chance of a complete cure. However, chronic symptoms may develop if the nervous system is very severely affected. This is particularly the case if, as a result of the infection, autoimmune reactions of the immune system are added, which are directed against the nervous system. It is known that destroyed nerve cells can no longer be replaced. This can lead to permanent spastic gait and movement disorders as well as urinary and fecal incontinence. Perception, speech or hearing disorders are also observed. In some cases, chronic psychiatric complaints or constant epileptic seizures even occur.
When should you see a doctor?
If a tick has bitten, the insect should be removed from the body of the affected person with the utmost care. It is important that the entire body of the tick is detached. If there are complications or uncertainties in the correct handling, a doctor should be consulted and instructed to remove the tick. If health complaints arise weeks or months after a bite from the insect, action is required. If there is paralysis, disturbance of sensitivity or numbness, a doctor should be consulted. If the affected person complains of problems with taste perception, reduced hearing ability or irregularities in the control of the eye muscles, a visit to the doctor is necessary. Pain, a general feeling of discomfort or irritability are signs of impairment that need to be investigated and treated. In the case of coordination disorders, dizziness, gait unsteadiness or problems with the musculoskeletal system, a doctor should be asked for help. The cause of the complaints must be determined so that treatment can be initiated. If there are abnormalities in speech, there is cause for concern. A doctor must be consulted immediately if there is a reduction in speech ability, as this is a special warning sign from the organism. If there is irregularity of bladder emptying, a doctor is also needed. Fatigue, lowered mood as well as listlessness are other signs that should be followed up.
Treatment and therapy
Early treatment of neuroborreliosis proves fundamentally essential. Only in this way can serious sequelae be prevented. If neuroborreliosis is still in an early stage, treatment can be carried out with an appropriate antibiotic. Modern medicine relies primarily on preparations containing the active ingredient penicillin. If there is an intolerance to the active ingredient penicillin, an alternative active ingredient can also be used. The active ingredient azithromycin in particular is becoming increasingly popular. Pregnant women should also avoid treatment with the active substance penicillin. Since neuroborreliosis is often only detected at a very late stage, the active substances already mentioned no longer have a reliable effect. For this reason, treatment with a special antibiotic must be considered. The active substances contained in each case are often administered intravenously. In order to achieve the best possible result, the respective preparations should be taken over a period of at least four weeks. There are no special rules of conduct with regard to contact with other people. Thus, neuroborreliosis can basically not be transmitted from person to person.
Outlook and prognosis
The prognosis for neuroborreliosis is good if it is diagnosed and treated at an early stage.In around 90 percent of cases, antibiotic therapy lasting at least two weeks responds well and relieves the affected person completely or at least largely of his or her symptoms. Residual symptoms such as rapid fatigue, pain, memory impairment or neurological limitations are reported by 5 to 30 percent of patients after an infection, depending on the study. As a rule, everyday and professional life is not affected or not significantly affected, and life expectancy is not reduced by early detection and treatment of neuroborreliosis. Facial paralysis occurring in the course of the disease usually disappears after one to two months, but in five percent of patients it remains longer or is permanent. The disease can take a severe course if the meninges are affected by the inflammation (meningitis). In this case, in addition to a pronounced feeling of illness, impaired consciousness and even coma can occur; if left untreated, meningitis can lead to death. Possible long-term consequences of a survived meningitis are speech and movement disorders, perceptual disorders, incontinence or seizures. Occasionally, meningitis also entails psychiatric disorders such as marked mood swings or depression.
Prevention
As a result of the potential complications, neuroborreliosis must always be prevented. As part of prevention, bites from ticks should be avoided. For this reason, clothing should be worn as long as possible during excursions. Pants must also have a waistband. Appropriate ointments usually do not prevent a tick bite.
Aftercare
Despite significant neurologic problems, the course of neuroborreliosis is almost always benign with appropriate therapy. However, after successful treatment with antibiotics, follow-up examinations should be performed over a longer period of time. These mainly consist of regular monitoring of clinical symptoms. Should these worsen, a new examination of the cerebrospinal fluid is often necessary. Detailed differential diagnoses can also clarify whether it is still the after-effects of Lyme disease or another neurological disease. In connection with neuroborreliosis, the medical literature often reports the so-called post-Lyme disease syndrome. However, scientific studies show that such symptoms have nothing to do with the survived Lyme disease. Appropriate follow-up measures in these cases refer to other diseases, which must be specifically diagnosed in each individual case. In any case, it has been shown that prolonged treatment with antibiotics usually does not change the existing symptoms of the disease. On the contrary, often these measures are rather harmful to the organism. In individual cases, they can even be fatal. It is possible, however, that neurological symptoms such as depression have occurred for the first time after neuroborreliosis and are therefore associated with it. In rare cases, however, complications such as stroke occur in the course of neuroborreliosis. In this case, follow-up is always based on the severity of the complication.
What you can do yourself
If signs of Lyme disease are noticed, a doctor should be consulted. If neuroborreliosis has already developed, effective self-help measures can usually no longer be used. However, sufferers can support the medical therapy by following the doctor’s instructions regarding personal hygiene and physical exertion. In most cases, the physician will recommend a stress-free lifestyle with a healthy and balanced diet. If physical ailments such as movement disorders or neurological problems occur, the patient will need appropriate aids. In addition to medications prescribed by a doctor, various natural remedies can also be used. For example, pain-relieving devil’s claw as well as aloe vera have proven effective. These remedies are applied in the form of ointments to the bite site and primarily help against the pain at the origin of the disease. Infections in the body can be treated only by medicines. The sufferer should carefully monitor the body’s signals so that the medication can be regularly adjusted to newly emerging symptoms.In the later stages of the disease, therapy focuses on accepting the suffering and its possible consequences on health. Younger people in particular often suffer from depression and anxiety after infection, which must be worked through as part of psychological treatment.
