{"id":4267,"date":"2017-07-31T14:04:56","date_gmt":"2017-07-31T18:04:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.travelnursesource.com\/notes\/?p=4267"},"modified":"2018-04-19T15:18:32","modified_gmt":"2018-04-19T19:18:32","slug":"diagnosing-lyme-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelnursesource.com\/notes\/diagnosing-lyme-disease","title":{"rendered":"Diagnosing Lyme Disease: What to Look For"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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In September 2015, the\u00a0Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revised their estimates<\/a>, indicating that more than 329,000 new cases of Lyme disease were contracted each year in the US \u2014 an increase of up to 10 times of what was previously believed. The report also stated that 95% of confirmed Lyme disease cases were reported from only 14 states. The main geographic territory ranges from Maine to Virginia along the East Coast and the upper Midwest states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. This is exactly why diagnosing Lyme disease has become more important than ever before.<\/p>\n

With these startling numbers and more and more cases of Lyme disease beginning to take hold on patients, nurses are struggling to properly diagnose the ailment. With symptoms that can vary and mimic those of other illnesses, it can lead many nurses playing detective with very little to go on. Diagnosing Lyme disease can be difficult, but here are a few things that nurses can look out for.<\/p>\n

Diagnosing Lyme Disease<\/h2>\n

The Struggle<\/h3>\n

There are many factors that come into play when you\u2019re beginning your attempt at diagnosing Lyme disease. One of the biggest issues that many health care professionals will face is having a patient that already has one or multiple pre-existing conditions. In many cases, these symptoms can often be jumbled together, and it can be nearly impossible to distinguish a symptom or side effect from previous conditions<\/a>\u00a0to that of a possible case of Lyme disease. Unfortunately, many nurses simply won\u2019t see a patient come into the office until the disease has taken its toll. Many will attribute muscle fatigue, headaches, and overall exhaustion to old age or a stressful life, when, in fact, it could be Lyme disease taking a toll on the patient’s body. This is yet another reason that nurses must play detective and try to find the best possible diagnosis<\/a>\u00a0that they can come up with.<\/p>\n

Common Symptoms<\/h3>\n

While there are a variety of symptoms that Lyme disease can cause, it\u2019s more important to look and see if your patients have multiple signs that point towards Lyme disease. These symptoms include:<\/p>\n