Every year, cases of Lymes disease in children seem to increase. This year in particular, after a winter spend confined indoors, the total number of Lymes diagnoses continues to creep higher and higher. Typically spread by the bite of an infected tick, the bacterial agent, Borrelia burgdorferi, causes an infection that can trigger a range of adverse health reactions. Early symptoms may include chills, fever, and headaches, and then progress to severe fatigue, a stiff neck, joint swelling. Severe symptoms may even affect the heart and central nervous system.
Lymes disease is often diagnosed based on symptoms, physical findings, and environment. Testing can be done, but the results aren’t always conclusive. Testing too early can lead to a false negative as the antibodies haven’t had proper time to develop. Any previous experience with Lymes can cause a false positive as the antibodies can persist in the blood for months or even years after contracting the disease. Infection with other diseases can present with a false positive as well.
It’s a difficult, but luckily treatable disease to be diagnosed with. But what if Lymes disease isn’t causing children to become sick this year? Another, often overlooked, environmental factor may be at play: mold exposure.
Read the full article here: https://www.wphealthcarenews.com/is-lymes-disease-worse-this-year-for-children-or-is-it-mold-exposure/