Lyme disease is caused by a particular bacterial infection that is picked up from the bite of an infected tick. In general, smaller sized animals and rodents are carriers of Lyme disease. These animals and rodents may be carrying ticks on their skin. If these ticks bite these animals, they will become carriers of the bacteria. The infected tick then has to bite the individual before he or she is infected with the bacteria. The chances of this happening are fairly low. However, in areas that are thickly wooded, one may be at a higher risk of developing such conditions.
Chronic Lyme disease is defined as Lyme disease that lasts for a particularly longer period of time. Chronic Lyme disease occurs in patients who are misdiagnosed. This is because there are several different symptoms of Lyme disease, most of which are consistent with other medical conditions. This creates a certain amount of confusion when it comes to the diagnosis of Lyme disease. Lyme disease tests are also not 100% accurate. The Lyme disease test does not look for the bacterium that is affecting the patient. It instead looks for the antibodies in the immune system. If the immune system does not have these antibodies present, then the doctor may diagnose the condition as something else.
Chronic Lyme disease may cause symptoms that are consistent with other chronic conditions like fibromyalgia and arthritis. Lyme disease is capable of causing inflammations in the whole body of the individual. Therefore, the chronic Lyme disease tests come into the picture when the patient does not respond to treatment for other such conditions. The chronic Lyme disease tests are identical to those that are conducted when Lyme disease is first suspected. Chronic Lyme disease tests include blood tests and also an analysis of the clinical symptoms. There is a lot of scope for error in Lyme disease testing because of the fact that the diagnosis depends on the clinical analysis of the symptoms that are present. Chronic Lyme disease tests should be conducted on individuals who suffer from repeated presentations of the symptoms. Lyme disease should not be taken lightly; it can cause inflammation in major body systems and can even affect the nervous system. Lyme disease, in serious cases, can lead to death as well. It therefore becomes necessary that a thorough chronic lyme disease review be done by your doctor. It is therefore important that doctors conduct chronic Lyme disease tests on all patients who have symptoms of the condition, regardless of whether the condition has been diagnosed as some other inflammatory condition. After the test for chronic lyme disease the papers that present the results would need to be interpreted by your doctor in order to make a correct diagnosis. The chronic lyme disease worksheets showing the results of the test could be of great help when diagnosing the condition and determining a treatment plan.