What should be observed during the treatment?

During the antibiotic treatment, a blood sample should be taken weekly at the beginning to check the small blood count and other laboratory parameters. A complication that can occur during an antibiotic Lyme disease treatment is the so-called Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction, which is due to a massive killing of bacteria at the beginning of the treatment Bacterial toxins, so-called endotoxins, are released from the killed borrelia, which then cause a counter-reaction of the body. Our organism therefore releases inflammation mediators which can lead to:.

In extreme cases it can even lead to a circulatory shock. If these symptoms occur, immediate treatment with cortisone in hospital is indicated. As a prophylactic measure, taking cortisone before taking the antibiotic can be useful for certain risk factors after consulting the treating doctor.

If Lyme disease is treated with an antibiotic over a long period of time, the intake of probiotics to protect the intestinal flora should be considered. On the one hand there are foods containing probiotic bacteria, such as probiotic yoghurt. There are also probiotic drugs. According to studies, the intake of these probiotics should reduce the occurrence of diarrhoea, which can occur during antibiotic therapy. – high fever

Chills
Headaches
Muscle pain (myalgia)
Joint pain (arthralgia) and
Tiredness

Prophylaxis

A vaccination against TBE is not available for Lyme disease in Europe, but there is intensive research in this area and the first results of this work are being tested in the USA. Nevertheless, a vaccine is not expected to be launched on the German market in the near future. In order to avoid the often protracted, not always successful and with side effects associated Borreliosis therapy, it is recommended to prevent tick bites as much as possible, because sometimes a vaccination does not exist either.

As a consequence the stay in bushes and high grass should be avoided or only done with protective clothing. After a tick bite a so-called post-exposure prophylaxis can theoretically be carried out. A post-exposure prophylaxis is a measure that is carried out after one has been exposed to a risk of infection in order to prevent the infection from actually breaking out.

In case of a tick bite, the patient would receive the antibiotic doxycycline once. However, the implementation of this measure is controversial in medical circles and is not recommended in Germany due to the low infection risk of about 2% after a tick bite. The best protection is therefore still the so-called exposure prophylaxis. This means the avoidance of tick bites, by avoiding areas with a lot of ticks, or the use of insect-repellent creams, sprays etc.

Lyme disease and wanderlust

It is a very common but also a very characteristic symptom of Lyme disease. Approximately 60-90% of the Lyme disease infected persons show a distinctive flush. Usually the flush develops after 10-30 days after the tick bite.

However, it appears after 7 days at the earliest. The flush is also painless. It is a reddish spot or a reddish prominence, which can be sharply defined and roundish-oval.

This reddening now spreads further and further outwards in a ring shape. After some time, this leads to a central fading, so that an annular redness develops. The reddened bite site of the tick is often still in the centre.

There is no scaling of the skin or an open lesion to the outside due to the migration redness. It should be noted that the extent of the redness can vary greatly. In most cases, the flush heals itself after about 10 weeks.

However, it can also occur repeatedly. This is particularly the case with children, but on average only in 5-10% of those affected. It also happens that the flush is so discreet that it is not even recognised or noticed by those affected.

In children, flushing can have special features, such as manifestation in the head and neck area or even fleeting redness in the facial area. Fever and flu-like symptoms are also a frequent accompanying symptom of flushing. The cause of this skin reaction is an immune reaction of the body. Immune cells such as lymphocytes and plasma cells flow into the skin. This causes the reddening of the area.