Lyme Symptoms in Children
Lyme disease can affect anyone who is exposed to ticks; those who spend a majority of time outside in areas where there is high grass and heavily wooded areas are at an even greater risk. The highest reported incidents of Lyme disease occur with children between the ages of 5 and 14 years old, and adults between the ages of 45 and 54. Ticks are the most prevalent in the Northeastern, Mid-Atlantic and North Central states, with the months of June through August being the high-risk months for infection. If the early symptoms are detected in time, children can be treated before the disease progresses into the the more severe stages. When it comes to Lyme disease, prevention and detection are the key.
Skin Rash
Nearly 90 percent of all patients who have Lyme disease will develop a rash anywhere between a few days to a month after a tick has bitten them. On older children, the rash will appear on their upper body, thigh or buttocks, and on younger children it will appear on their head or neck. Though the bull's-eye rash is thought to be the most common sign of Lyme disease, it can appear differently on everyone. It may begin as a spot that appears as a pimple, then expand over the next few days, turning into a purplish circle that is about 6 inches in diameter, the rim of which is a deep red. Often the center will turn clear, or lighten to a bluish color, and over the course of the next several weeks it may grow to expand up to 20 inches across. Many have described the feeling of the rash as a burning rather than an itching. It may disappear completely after a period of 3 to 4 weeks but reappear during one of the later stages.
Flu-Like Symptoms
These symptoms are actually the most common symptom of Lyme disease and can actually occur without the rash ever appearing. They can actually last anywhere from 5 to 21 days, and the symptoms to watch for in your child include a fever of 100 to 103 degrees F, chills, fatigue, headaches that usually occur in the back of the head, swollen glands that generally occur in the area of the tick bite and a stiff neck. If you live in a geographic region where ticks are prevalent, and your child is at high risk, you should test your child for Lyme disease during the summer months if he is experiencing these common symptoms, whether he is displaying a rash or not.
Arthritis
After the skin rash has appeared, joint pain can occur. In fact, arthritic pain may be the first sign of Lyme's disease once there is no longer a rash. However, this pain can take months before it develops. Some of the symptoms include aches and swelling of larger joints such as elbows, knees, and shoulders and muscle pain that accompanies the joint pain. Rule of thumb is that no more than three joints are affected by the disease, but the symptoms can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Once they subside, there will be a long period of relief before the arthritic pain begins again. After 1 or 2 years, the symptoms of the arthritis generally pique, begin to decrease and then resolve themselves, even if your child has not received treatment.
Neurological Symptoms
Only about 15 percent of children who have not been treated for their Lyme disease will go on to develop neurological symptoms. They can, however, develop them during any stages of the disease and these symptoms can affect any part of the nervous system. The most common neurological symptoms include problems sleeping, headache, memory problems and mood changes. These usually improve, even if your child has not been treated. In a smaller percentage of children, 5 to 10 percent, the nerves of the face become damaged, resulting in Bell's Palsy. This is a condition in which a weakness in the face takes place and one side of the facial muscles and eyelid begins to droop. This can also affect the nerves around the facial area, causing dizziness, numbness, changes in hearing and double vision. While observing Lyme disease in children, it was noted that more than half who had Lyme disease also suffered from Bell's Palsy.
Heart and Eye Disease
If left untreated, Lyme disease can also affect the electrical conduction of the heart, causing symptoms that include shortness of breath, palpitations, fainting and dizziness. It can also affect the eyes during any of the stages, generally resulting in pink eye. However as the disease progresses, neurological problems can have an effect on the eyes as well, resulting in pain and a sensitivity to light.
Prevention/Solution
The most obvious way to prevent being bitten by a tick is to avoid the areas ticks congregate; this includes tall grass, woods and bushes. However, if you are going to be in these areas, be sure to use a tick repellent and perform a tick check each night before coming into the house. If you remove a tick within 48 hours of its attachment, it reduces the likelihood of Lyme transmission. You can also reduce transmission by applying an antibiotic cream to the site of the tick bite. In addition, remove an unnecessary brush or leaves around your home to reduce transmission by as much as 50 percent or more.
Tick Removal
Proper tick removal is key to lower your risk of transmission by an even greater amount. First, you want to use a pair of tweezers rather than your hands; handling a tick with bare skin can increase spreading the infection. Next, grasp the tick's mouth as close to the human skin as possible. You will then pull upward using a steady pressure, taking care not to crush the body; this is where the organism of the infection is located. Once the tick has been removed, place it in a jar filled with alcohol, which will kill the tick. After the removal process has been complete, wash the area completely with either soap and water or an antiseptic to kill any microorganism from the tick.
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