Lyme Disease Prognosis: What to Expect

If you’ve been recently diagnosed with Lyme disease, one of the things you’re probably most interested in is your prognosis. Fortunately, most people infected with Lyme disease will fully recover within a few weeks if the illness is detected and treated early on with antibiotics. While some symptoms may linger longer than others, the Lyme disease prognosis is good for normally healthy people whose doctors prescribe proper treatment. There are some instances, however, of patients experiencing symptoms that are more severe and for longer periods of times. In these cases, the people are suffering from late stage or chronic Lyme disease, which can have some serious adverse effects on some patients. Following is some basic information about the disease, its symptoms and treatments and how Lyme disease prognosis can vary from person to person.

How did I get Lyme disease and how will it affect me? Lyme disease comes from the bacteria Borrelia that is spread from the bite of infected black-legged or deer ticks. Once the bacteria enter your body, symptoms will begin to appear usually within a couple of weeks. You may feel overly tired, have pain in your muscles and joints similar to arthritis, have a fever and just generally feel bad all over. You’ll also notice that you may have a reddish bulls-eye shaped rash at the site of the tick bite. If you’ve recently been in an area where ticks may be found and you notice any of these symptoms, talk to your physician as soon as possible for testing and a diagnosis.

What are my treatment options? Once your doctor gives you a diagnosis of Lyme disease, you can begin exploring your treatment options. The most used and reliable method for treating Lyme disease is the use of antibiotics such as doxycycline, amoxicillin, ceftriaxone and some macrolide antibiotics. The drugs are either given orally or intravenously depending on the severity of the illness, and they may be administered for up to four weeks. While antibiotics have been proven effective in fighting the illness, some people turn to alternative treatments such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy, bee venom, and herbal and vitamin supplements. While these alternative treatments may help the condition in some patients, no clinical research has been done to prove that they are effective in improving the Lyme disease prognosis.

What is late stage or chronic Lyme disease? Late stage or chronic Lyme disease develops when the condition is left untreated for an extended period of time, either due to the infected person ignoring the symptoms or to a doctor misdiagnosing the illness. As time passes and the disease worsens, people will experience more severe forms of the symptoms, and they may even begin to suffer from more devastating effects, such as meningoencephalitis (a combination of meningitis and encephalitis-like symptoms), cardiac problems and arthritis. If the disease advances for too long, an infected person may suffer some permanent damage as a result. Chronic Lyme disease is most often treated with heavy-duty antibiotics that are prescribed for a longer period of time.

The Lyme disease prognosis is generally good. Once you have a diagnosis, you should immediately begin treatment to fight the illness. Most often, the disease can be beaten without a person suffering serious effects; however, it is important to pay close attention to your symptoms and follow your doctor’s treatment orders properly to ensure that no permanent damage is done and your good Lyme disease prognosis stays intact.

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