Lyme Disease Could Make a Big Mark This Summer

It will likely be a few more years before we know the full impact the pandemic had on the number of cases of Lyme disease. Reports from labs, like ANY LAB TEST NOW®, that test for Lyme Disease, already show a six percent increase in exposure over the last year — a number expected to increase even more.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that around 476,000 Americans will be diagnosed this year with Lyme disease, the result of a single bite from a tick.

On top of that, there are currently more than two million people in the U.S. suffering from chronic illness associated with Lyme disease.

Thanks to the pandemic, more people have been spending more time outdoors, increasing their risk of contracting Lyme disease. Ticks live in grassy, brushy, or wooded areas, or even on animals. Spending time outdoors, walking your dog, camping, gardening, or hunting could bring you in close contact with ticks. Many people get ticks in their own yard or neighborhood. Ticks can also show up in unexpected places. Researchers in California were recently surprised to find ticks in areas of grass and scrub leading to beaches.

Preventing Tick Bites

It is important to know when ticks are active and what steps you can take to reduce your risk of being bitten by a tick.

Ticks are active from March through November — or anytime the temperature is above freezing. Click here for a map that shows the most active months for ticks in your state.

Before Heading Outdoors

If you are an avid walker and love to venture out into areas where ticks might be active, you should consider treating your clothing and gear with products containing 0.5 percent permethrin.

You can also use tick-repelling products. Look for repellents registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone.

After Coming Indoors

Check your clothing for ticks. Ticks may be carried into the house on clothing. Any ticks that are found should be removed. Tumble dry clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks on dry clothing after you come indoors. If the clothes require washing first, always use hot water.

Examine gear and pets. Ticks can be transferred into the home on clothing and pets, then attach to a person later, so carefully examine pets, coats, bags, etc.

Take a shower. Showering within two hours of coming indoors has been shown to reduce your risk of getting Lyme disease. Showering may help wash off unattached ticks.

Check your body for ticks. Conduct a full body check. Use a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body.

Important: If you do find a tick attached to yourself, you should always save it so you can send it to your local health department for identification and testing to see if it carries Lyme disease.

Early Signs and Symptoms of Lyme Disease

Symptoms of Lyme disease include fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes.

You may also experience a bull’s-eye rash known as erythema migrans (EM), which occurs in about 70 to 80 percent of infected persons. This rash appears between three to 30 days at the site of a tick bite.

Later Signs and Symptoms of Lyme Disease

The following symptoms can occur weeks to months after a bite from an infected tick:

Facial palsy (loss of muscle tone or droop on one or both sides of the face).
Arthritis with severe joint pain and swelling, particularly the knees and other large joints.
Intermittent pain in tendons, muscles, joints, and bones.
Heart palpitations or an irregular heartbeat.
Episodes of dizziness or shortness of breath.
Inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.
Nerve pain.
Shooting pains, numbness, or tingling in the hands or feet.

Diagnosis and Treatment

ANY LAB TEST NOW offers a simple blood test that will help detect and measure antibodies that the body produces in an attempt to fight the disease. The presence of antibodies cannot always determine if the Lyme disease infection is recent or due to a tick bite in the past, but it can put you and your doctor on the right path to helping you feel better.

If your results are negative and your symptoms are still present, it’s a good idea to perform a repeat test. It can take up to two months for antibodies to develop.

After getting your results at your loca l ANY LAB TEST NOW, you should see your doctor. The good news is that most cases of Lyme disease can be successfully treated by a few weeks of antibiotics, according to the CDC.

Be at Ease

ANY LAB TEST NOW wants you to be at ease when it comes to seeking out any type of lab work, including testing for Lyme disease.

We provide you a safe and clean alternative location for lab work. Each of our 190+ stores is sanitized several times a day, in accordance with the CDC’s protocols. ANY LAB TEST NOW is a committed partner in helping you manage your family’s healthcare so you can make educated decisions that will directly affect your quality of life. We want to put you at ease during the coronavirus pandemic. We are here to help.

For more information about ANY LAB TEST NOW, and the tests we offer, visit us at www.anylabtestnow.com.

Summer Health Alert: It’s Lyme Disease Season

After being stuck inside for weeks, thanks to the novel coronavirus pandemic, people across the country are venturing back outdoors now the weather is warming up.

A recent survey finds 43 percent of Americans say they plan to do more outside activities post-COVID 19 lockdown, like walking and hiking.

Of course, getting outside has great health benefits, but it can also have some risks, especially during warmer months (April through September) — which is prime tick season. The CDC has a great resource to find out which ticks are most common in your area.

Experts predict ticks will be more troublesome this season than in years past mainly because the wildlife that can carry ticks has been wandering into residential areas after human and vehicle traffic were reduced because of stay-at-home orders. More wildlife around our homes and in our neighborhoods could lead to more ticks that have a chance to bite humans.

An active tick season combined with COVID-19 can present a whole new set of challenges.

Lyme Disease Overview

Approximately 300,000 people contract Lyme disease each year in the United States, but only one in ten cases are reported to the CDC. Lyme disease is caused by the bite of an infected black-legged tick, sometimes called the deer tick. One of the early signs of the disease is a bulls-eye rash. However, only 70–80 percent of people will have this symptom.

Other symptoms of Lyme disease are less distinctive and can be confused with other illnesses, including COVID-19. These symptoms include fever, head and body aches, and fatigue. These flu-like symptoms can be deceptive to both patients and doctors, particularly if the person doesn’t recall being bitten by a tick in the first place.

There are three stages of Lyme disease. If caught early, it can be cured. Treatment involves two to four weeks of antibiotics. However, if someone mistakes Lyme disease for COVID-19, they could unknowingly delay necessary medical treatment, and that can lead to severe, potentially debilitating symptoms, including neurological and cognitive problems, heart problems, and painful arthritis. Here is a closer look at the three stages of Lyme disease.

Stage One: Early Localized

Lyme is the easiest to cure at this stage. Symptoms may begin hours, a few days, or even weeks after a tick bite. At this point, the infection has not yet spread throughout the body. Symptoms may include:

Skin rash, which may or may not look like a bulls-eye
Fever and chills
Fatigue
Headache and stiff neck
Muscle soreness and joint pain
Swollen lymph nodes
Sore throat

Stage Two: Early Disseminated Lyme disease

If not treated, this stage may begin several weeks or months after a tick bite as bacteria spread throughout the body. Stage two is often marked by an increase in symptoms such as:

Fever and chills
Fatigue
Headaches
Changes in vision
Pain, weakness or numbness in the arms, legs
Chest pain or palpitations
Rash may appear on the body
Facial paralysis

Stage Three: Late Disseminated Lyme disease

At this point, the bacteria that cause Lyme disease have spread throughout the body, causing a number of chronic and sometimes debilitating symptoms that could last a lifetime. These symptoms may include:

Arthritis in joints or near the point of infection
Severe headaches or migraines
Vertigo
Stiff neck
Insomnia
Heart problems
Brain fog
Numbness in the arms, legs, hands, or feet
Severe fatigue

Tricks to Avoid Ticks

Ticks live in grassy, brushy, or wooded areas, and even on animals. Many people get ticks in their own yard or neighborhood. Spending time outside, whether it’s walking the dog, hiking, or gardening, can bring you in close contact with ticks — but that shouldn’t deter you from enjoying the fresh air.

Here are some helpful tips to avoid ticks.

If walking in wooded or areas with high grass, wear shoes, long pants tucked into your socks, a long-sleeved shirt, a hat, and gloves.
Treat clothing and shoes with products designed to repel ticks. Look for products containing permethrin. This can be used to treat footwear and clothing and will remain protective through several washings.
Do a tick check before heading indoors. Check your pets and any gear, too. Ticks can hitch a ride into the home on clothing, gear like backpacks, and pets, then attach to a person later. Deer ticks are often no bigger than the head of a pin, so you may not discover them unless you search carefully.
Wash clothes in hot water and dry clothes in a dryer on high heat. You can also kill ticks on dry clothing after you come indoors by putting them in the dryer on high for ten minutes.
Showering within two hours of coming indoors has been shown to reduce your risk of getting Lyme disease. Not only could it wash off unattached ticks, it is also a good opportunity to do a tick check.

Check these parts of your body for ticks:

Under the arms
In and around the ears
Inside belly button
Back of the knees
In and around the hair
Between the legs
Around the waist

If you find a tick, remove it as soon as possible. Use tweezers to gently grasp the tick near its head or mouth. Try not to squeeze or crush the tick. Instead, pull carefully and steadily. Once you’ve removed the entire tick, dispose of it and apply antiseptic to the bite area.

Get Tested

In order for your doctor to make an accurate diagnosis, you can’t rely on symptoms alone. You need accurate, sensitive testing to pinpoint the source of disease. Any Lab Test Now provides such testing. Our specialized Lyme disease test is performed by certified lab technicians to measure the Borrelia antibodies in the blood. Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia mayonii are the bacteria that cause the infection we call Lyme disease. Test results are usually available within 24–72 business hours. No need for you to make an appointment with a doctor first. You can walk in to Any Lab Test Now to get the test at any time. The sooner you get tested, the sooner your doctor can start treatment if you test positive.

Be At Ease

If you are considering a Lyme disease test but are wary of bumping into a coronavirus patient at your doctor’s office, you can be at ease with a visit to Any Lab Test Now. We provide you a safe and clean alternative location for lab work. Each of our 180+ stores is sanitized several times a day, in accordance with the CDC’s protocols. When you get your test results, you can easily make a telemedicine appointment with your physician and share the details. Any Lab Test Now is a committed partner in helping you manage your healthcare so you can make educated decisions that will directly affect your quality of life. We want to put you at ease during the coronavirus outbreak. We are here to help.

Find your closest Any Lab Test Now store at www.anylabtestnow.com.

Don’t Let A Tick Make You Sick

This summer, Any Lab Test Now is putting the bulls-eye on Lyme disease. That’s because Lyme disease is the most commonly occurring vector-borne disease, accounting for more than 300,000 illnesses each year in the United States. The disease is caused by bacteria spread to humans through the bite of infected black-legged ticks. As the temperatures warm and the days get longer, we’re enticed outside to enjoy the outdoors after so much time being cooped inside during winter. It’s also prime time for ticks. Any Lab Test Now wants you to be aware before you go outside and know what to do if you are bitten.

How Ticks Spread Disease

Ticks are creepy crawlies: that means they don’t jump or fly. They wait patiently on the ends of grass or on shrubs. When a likely host brushes past (that’s YOU) they grab on and begin their journey across YOUR body, looking for a cozy, hard to see, area to bite down. They are often found in armpits or the groin area, even on your scalp. And here’s the thing: most humans are infected with Lyme disease through the bites of tiny immature ticks called nymphs. They are so tiny they can be extremely difficult to see.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: The CDC explains that if you remove a tick quickly, usually within 24 hours of attachment, you can greatly reduce your chances of getting Lyme disease. The longer the tick is attached to your body, the greater the risk of acquiring the disease.

Signs and Symptoms

The good news is that most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with a few weeks of antibiotics. If you’ve discovered a tick, properly remove it and clean the area and watch for these symptoms:

3–30 Days After Tick Bite

Fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes. Many people describe it as being like the flu.
Rash begins at the site of a tick bite. It may feel warm to the touch but is rarely itchy or painful.
May enlarge to form a distinctive bullseye-like appearance.

Days to Months After Tick Bite

Severe headache and neck stiffness.
More rashes across the body.
Arthritis with severe joint pain and swelling.
Facial palsy on one or both sides of the face.
Heart palpitations or an irregular heartbeat.
Dizziness or shortness of breath.
Inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.
Nerve pain or shooting pains, numbness, or tingling in the hands or feet.
Problems with short-term memory.

It is possible to not have any symptoms in the early stages of the disease and not even remember being bitten. But keep an eye out for that distinctive round, red rash, which can often resemble a bullseye.

ALTN: Putting a Target on Lyme Disease

Your local Any Lab Test Now is proud to offer a blood test that will provide you and your doctor with the information you need to know if an infection is present. If your test comes back positive and you are still in the early stages of the disease, your doctor will usually prescribe a round of the appropriate antibiotics. The CDC finds that most people treated quickly will recover rapidly and completely.

An Ounce of Prevention

Of course, prevention is the best course of action. The CDC recommends that you wear repellent if planning on going outside. Check for ticks daily because the sooner you remove them, the better your chances of avoiding disease altogether. It’s also a good idea to shower soon after being outdoors and wash your clothes as well.

We should all feel comfortable to be outside and enjoy the great outdoors. We just need to keep a few safety rules in mind so that we “don’t let a tick make us sick.”

How a walk in the park can turn into a trip to the doctor

After a long winter, it’s hard to stay inside when you begin to see those first signs of spring. Temperatures are warmer, flowers are blooming, even animals are frolicking. The experts at Any Lab Test Now understand the desire to shake off winter’s coat and let the warm breezes and sunshine bathe you in bliss, but you need to proceed with caution. There’s a spreading danger out there that you will likely never see coming. It’s as small as a pinhead and can pack a punch that can turn your world upside down. We’re talking about ticks and a nasty disease that some of them can carry — Lyme disease.

The Spread of Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread by the bite of ticks. It causes more than 300,000 illnesses each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The risk of infection is greatest in late spring and summer. Of course, that’s the time we are all most likely to want to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors, but unfortunately, it also coincides with a very dangerous point in the life cycle of the tick.

Search for a Spring Snack

It turns out that most people are infected through the bites of immature ticks, called nymphs. Experts at the CDC believe that ticks become infected when they are still just considered larvae, but once they become infected, they stay infected for the rest of their two-year lifespan. When the larvae become nymphs, they begin furiously seeking blood meals to fuel their growth. That’s usually in the spring and summer months, just in time for you to enjoy a family hike or camping trip. Don’t think you are in the free and clear in the fall either. Adult ticks can also transmit Lyme disease, and they are most active during the fall. They are much larger than nymphs though, and more likely to be spotted and removed before attaching to your skin.

You don’t have to be a prisoner in your own home. The experts at Any Lab Test Now have some tips that you can follow to help you take control of your health AND help you enjoy the great outdoors.

Use insect repellant and perform daily tick checks. Look everywhere! Nymphs are tiny and can easily be mistaken for a speck of dirt. Have someone check your scalp, the back of your neck, and all the places you can’t see. If you spot a tick, remove it immediately with a pair of tweezers. The CDC says ticks are usually attached for a day before they release the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.

Recognize the early symptoms of Lyme disease. Early diagnosis and treatment can help you avoid complications that can appear later if the disease is not treated. Here’s what to look for:

Bull’s-eye rash
Fatigue
Chills and fever
Headache
Muscle and joint pain
Swollen lymph nodes

Does this sound familiar? Sounds a lot like the flu, and it can often be mistaken for that. If you’ve been bitten by a tick or develop the rash, it might not be the flu.

Recognize late symptoms of Lyme disease. If left untreated, the problems associated with the disease will worsen. Often patients experience bouts of arthritis, especially in the knees. There can sometimes be nerve paralysis and even meningitis. Many patients report suffering from “brain fog.” Others have reported heart arrhythmias and eye inflammations.

Take Control; Get Tested

Any Lab Test Now offers a simple blood test that will help detect and measure antibodies that the body produces in an attempt to fight the disease. The presence of antibodies cannot always determine if the Lyme disease infection is recent or due to a tick bite in the past, but it can put you and your doctor on the right path to helping you feel better. A special note: If your results are negative, but your symptoms are still present, it’s a good idea to perform a repeat test. It can take up to two months for antibodies to develop.

After getting your results at your local Any Lab Test Now, you should see your doctor. The good news is that Lyme disease can easily be treated with antibiotics.

Did You Know Lyme Disease And Other Tick-Borne Illnesses Are On The Rise?

Late summer and fall seems the perfect time for camping, hiking and enjoying the outdoors. Heading out to revel in the cooler evening temperatures and fall color, though can be hazardous to your health. Ticks have become more numerous especially in areas known for outdoor activities. Twenty years ago ticks were confined to certain regions in the Midwest and Northeast and if you weren’t going there, you knew that you didn’t need to worry. A couple years ago the CDC raised the expected number of cases of Lyme disease from 30,000 per year to 300,000 and they have redrawn their map of Lyme disease hot spots, including an increase from 69 to 260 counties in the northeast.

You may scoff at climate changes as not real, but some theorize that these changes are real and can be seen in the increase in ticks in areas they hadn’t been and in the exponential increase in tick-borne diseases. Lyme disease is not the only disease that these pests carry, but it is the most well-known. And although it is well-known, many people do not realize that the disease can be deadly. The focus is usually on the fever and headache that is typical of the disease, but Lyme disease can also cause long term symptoms including vision problems, inflammation of the joints similar to rheumatoid arthritis and inflammation of the heart leading to “heart block”, an interruption of the heartbeat, which could cause sudden cardiac death.

In addition, some cases of Lyme disease are not caught early and may not respond well to antibiotics causing symptoms known as post treatment Lyme disease syndrome, often referred to as “chronic Lyme”. 10-20% of those infected have a cluster of lingering symptoms such as fatigue, trouble concentrating and muscle or joint aches after treatment. It is unclear whether the symptoms are due to an infection that was not eradicated with antibiotics or to damage that remains from the original infection.

The tick’s mechanism of biting ensures that they are often not felt. In a study conducted by Georgia Southern University, out of 258 students who had been bitten, only 4% of them were aware of the bites. Since only half of those who contract Lyme disease from a tick bite develop symptoms, many people carry Lyme disease around untreated for months or even years before realizing that this is causing their long term symptoms. Stories abound of people who contract Lyme disease but spend years trying to get a diagnosis, often because they don’t recall being bitten.

As if Lyme disease isn’t bad enough, ticks also carry other severe illnesses including babesiosis, a parasitic infection, sometimes called “America’s Malaria”, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, rickettsiosis (also known as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever) and a newly discovered infection that hasn’t even been named yet. Prevention is the best plan and as a whole, we need to get better at it:

Check to see if ticks are prevalent, or becoming prevalent where you will be.
Wear light colored clothing so that you can see ticks crawling on you.
Tuck your pants into your socks.
Use bug spray containing DEET or permethrin to deter them from attaching.
Check your body and clothes for ticks when you come back inside.

If you suspect that you have been bitten, or have been in a tick heavy area, watch for symptoms including fever, headache and a rash around the site that resembles a bullseye. If you develop symptoms, get tested to determine if you have the antibodies to Lyme disease. The sooner you know that you have been infected the sooner you can start on a course of antibiotics to prevent long term side effects and illness. If you are dealing with post treatment Lyme disease syndrome or rheumatoid arthritis triggered by Lyme disease, treat it like chronic fatigue with good sleep and exercise habits as well as treatment for depression if needed.

Signs and Symptoms of Lyme Disease

Caused by the bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, Lyme disease is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected ticks. Like many diseases, the success of treatment with Lyme disease heavily depends on the timing of treatment. If treated early, Lyme disease can be cured with a few weeks of receiving antibiotics. However, if left unnoticed and untreated, Lyme disease can spread to the body’s joints, heart and nervous system leading to many other serious health problems.

If you have had a recent tick bite or live in an area known for Lyme disease, please be aware of the following signs and symptoms:

Early Signs and Symptoms

During the time frame of three to thirty days post-tick bite, a person may notice a red expanding rash known as erythema migrans (EM). A person may also experience fatigue, chills, headaches, muscle or joint pain, chills and/or swollen lymph nodes. As weeks progress and treatment remains unsought, a person may experience heart palpitations and dizziness due to changes in their heartbeat.

Late Signs and Symptoms

If the person infected is not treated for months or even years post-tick bite, they may experience arthritis symptoms including severe joint pain and swelling. Those left untreated for years are also at risk of developing chronic neurological conditions such as short-term memory loss and other cognitive difficulties.

If you have had a recent tick bite and think you may be at risk, contact your local Any Lab Test Now® today and schedule a Lyme Disease Test. We offer an antibody detection test which will measure the antibodies your body has produced, and we also offer our PCR tick panel that amplifies the bodies cellular DNA, which can also detect infection. With these quality results, you and your doctor will be able to determine if and what treatment is needed in order to maintain your optimal health.