When the weather is warm, the bug bites people most often worry about first are from mosquitoes. However, tick bites are also a concern because they can lead to a illness called Lyme disease. Frank Migliore, DO, a rheumatologist in our Youngstown market, helps us understand when to worry about a tick bite.
Lyme disease, also known as Borrelia burgdorferi, is a bacteria that is transmitted into your body from a tick bite. While Lyme disease cases are most common in the mid-Atlantic states, New England and the upper Midwest, more and more cases have been popping up in Ohio this year.
Particularly in the Youngstown, Ohio area where Dr. Migliore practices, there are lots of deer ticks around. He sees patients when they have a disease that is causing pain by impacting their musculoskeletal system, like Lyme disease.
Dr. Migliore believes the increase in deer ticks as well as Lyme disease cases is tied to the increases in the deer population in the United States, including in the Youngstown area.
“Deer ticks are most active certainly during the summer and wooded areas are typically where they’re most prevalent,” he shares. “Actually, a lot of times, when we diagnose patients with Lyme disease, the patient never actually sees the tick. When the adult deer ticks bite, you can see because they’re bigger. It typically takes 48 to 72 hours for a tick to transmit Lyme disease. With the larger adult ticks, they are often seen and removed shortly after a bite occurs. So, the young deer ticks are called nymph ticks because they’re small; a lot of times, that’s what transmits Lyme disease because you never see them since they’re so little.”
When to worry about a tick bite
When left untreated, Lyme disease can go on to cause serious neurological issues as well as electrical issues in the heart and inflammatory arthritis. This is why it’s really important to catch Lyme disease early on and understand when to worry about a tick bite.
“Sometimes we will see a target rash or a bullseye rash – that’s a lot of times the common presenting symptom,” Dr. Migliore says. “However, not everyone gets that. There could also be early localized infection, which usually happens shortly after a tick bite. Other symptoms, like fever, fatigue, muscle aches, joint aches, those sorts of things can happen, too.”
He adds that sometimes symptoms from a tick-borne disease come up months, or even years, afterwards.
“So, even though we think of the summer as tick season, if you have symptoms in the winter, that doesn’t mean that it can’t be from Lyme disease or a tick bite. It may have occurred in the summer and you’re just now having the manifestations.”
Overall, the best way to avoid Lyme disease is to take preventative measures to avoid tick bites.
How to avoid tick bites
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as the American Academy of Pediatrics, you can help prevent tick bites. Some tips include:
- Apply insect repellant to children older than 2 months of age. To avoid getting repellant in eyes, mouth or on hands, always assist children in applying repellant and keep chemicals in a safe location.
- Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, closed shoes and a broad-brimmed hat. Consider pre-treating clothing or camping gear with permethrin if going in a high-risk area.
- Avoid areas with ticks like tall grasses, leaf litter and deep woods.
Additionally, after spending a day outside, check your body and child’s skin for ticks.
“It is important to note that ticks sometimes try to hide in sensitive areas,” Dr. Migliore says. “Even when you’re outside, if you get a tick and it gets on your arm or your leg, a lot of times they will crawl around a little bit to find a softer spot before they actually bite you.”
And if you are bitten by a tick, don’t panic.
First, remove the tick with tweezers or clean hands covered with a tissue. Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull with steady, straight movement. Then, place the tick in tape or a sealed container to keep for showing to a medical provider.
“If you see a tick, you absolutely want to get checked out,” Dr. Migliore adds. “It’s good if you can get into your primary care provider early, or an urgent care, because if we catch that early, a lot of times, we can give you a single dose of doxycycline, and that will kind of nip it in the bud and prevent it from progressing.”
It is important to note that if the tick is removed within the first 36 hours, the risk of Lyme disease is very low. However, it is still important to get checked out by a medical professional as well as to monitor the site of bite for 30 days following removal. If rash, fever or other flu-like symptoms develop, seek medical care right way.
Learn more about the rheumatology services we provide at Mercy Health.
