5 Neurological Complications Of Lyme Disease To Be Aware Of

5 Neurological Complications Of Lyme Disease To Be Aware Of

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Humans get Lyme Disease from the bite of an infected tick. A characteristic rash around the bite, fever, chills, headaches, muscle and joint pains, and swollen lymph nodes are the early symptoms of Lyme diseas. Since these signs resemble those of more common diseases like flu, people with Lyme disease occasionally make use of the wrong treatments or simply choose to ignore the symptoms. Unfortunately, when left untreated, Lyme disease can lead to severe complications. In the second stage of Lyme disease, neurological complications like numbness, severe headaches, and visual disturbances may occur. The following are some of the neurological complications of Lyme disease:

Radiculitis

A very painful radiculitis is among the first neurological complications that are experienced by people with Lyme disease. A radiating pain along the dermatome of a nerve often characterizes radiculitis. This condition usually occurs within the first few weeks to months of the infection. Patients generally experience sensory, motor and mixed symptoms and conditions such as weakness and sudden reflex and sensory changes. These symptoms, unfortunately, can be wrongly assumed to be nerve-impingement syndrome.

Cranial neuropathies

Cranial neuropathies involve the patient's cranial nerve or the nerves involved in processing sensory perceptions such as sights, smells, sounds and others. Multiple cranial nerves can be affected all at once when a person is fighting Lyme diseasMultiple cranial nerves can be affected at the same time in the case of Lyme disease. It has been reported many times about patients who experience symptoms in the cranial nerve not including the olfactory nerve. An estimated 50%-70% of total patients that suffer from neurological symptoms experience this complication.

Intracranial hypertension

Intracranial hypertension is a rare neurological complication of Lyme disease. Children experience it more often than an adult. Headaches and sometimes papilledema can be caused by intracranial hypertension. Papilledma is a where condition where the patient's optic disc swells, developing over hours or weeks. In some cases, abnormalities in Cerebrospinal Fluid may also occur.

Inflammation of the brain and spinal cord

Encephalomyelitis usually includes brainstem abnormalities and sometimes resembles ischemic patterns. There is some evidence from medical sources that implies parenchymal involvement Cerebellar syndromes, motion disorders, hemiparesis, and spastic paraparesis are all indicators of this complication. European nations are more prone to this complication than are those in North America.

Are you at all familiar with Encephalopathy?

Encephalopathy is a common complication for someone who has Lyme disease but is currently in the later stages. This complication causes changes ranging from minor to severe in the patient's cognitive functions and polyradiculoneuropathy. Late stage infections, such as encephalopathy, are often associated with extreme fatigue, difficulty sleeping, severe irritability, photophobia, erratic mood swings, word-finding difficulties, and also problems communicating through verbal speech or the written word. There have also been reports of sensory problems. The severity of these symptoms may differ and are considered to be somewhat inconsistent.

Early identification and administration of treatment is the best way to prevent the symptoms of Lyme disease from developing into worse neurological complications.

About the Author:
Learn about the different symptoms of Lyme disease by reading http://www.lymediseaseblog.com/lyme-disease-symptoms/



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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