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Case Study: Lyme Disease
The Musculoskeletal Pathophysiologic Processes
The presenting symptoms are typical for Lyme Disease. This condition is caused Borrelia burgdorferi. The bacterium is transmitted through a bite by an infected black-legged tick. According to Skar et al. (2022), the first symptom associated with Lyme disease is the erythema migraines rash. This symptom is typically found in 70% to 80% of all patients who develop Lyme disease. It initially appears at the site following the tick bite. It develops as an expanding erythematous skin lesion with a diameter measuring around five centimeters, in some instances, the erythema presents in a homogenous fashion or may display as a targetoid. The rash commonly appears one to two weeks following with bite.
The disease-causing bacteria may invade other tissues and the body such as the joint causing Lyme arthritis. Knee tenderness and arthritic pain revealed during the physical examination indicate the late-stage manifestation of Lyme disease. According to Skar et al. (2022), neurological manifestations stand at a prevalence between 10% to 15%. Additionally, cardiac involvement occurs in around 1% to 2% of the patients who develop Lyme disease.
Racial/Ethnic Variables
Lyme disease show no significant association with the ethnic or racial factor. However, the factors that differ across the racial groups including the preferences in outdoor activities which are hiding grounds for ticks can inform the difference in lime disease prevalence across the groups. Generally, the disease is considered disproportionately higher among white people due to the high risk of exposure. Fix et al. (2000) found that white patients were highly likely to have erythema migraines and less likely to develop arthritis compared to their African American counterparts. The difference is prevalence is rooted in the risk of exposure.
Early disease diagnosis and initiation of the treatment helps in addressing this condition. Starke et al. (2023) found that black patients with Lyme disease has longer median time to the initiation of appropriate antibiotic treatment compared to patients from other races. This factor can influence the disease burden as the bacteria invades other body parts if left untreated.
Process Interactions to Affect the Patient
The process begins with a tick bite and the development of erythema migraines. If the disease is left untreated, the bacteria attacks other body parts causing infections. For instance, in the joints it can cause Lyme arthritis (Skar et al., 2022). The body response mechanism begging with inflammation is manifested through tenderness and pain in the affected part, the presence of antibodies against the causative agent can be detected through the antibody test. This test is a key instrument to confirming the Lyme disease diagnosis.
Conclusion
The symptoms presented in the case study are positive for Lyme disease. Particular, late stage disease manifestation when the disease causing bacteria has travelled to other parts causing further infection. Apart from the arthritic symptoms reported in the case study. Lyme disease may also have cognitive manifestations. The findings from literature indicate that the ethnic factor does not directly influence Lyme disease risk or prevalence. However, the risk of exposure is determined by the taste in outdoor activities especially in an environment where the infected pathogen carriers are found. That explains why the white people may have high prevalence of Lyme disease compared to other races.
References
Fix, A. D., Peña, C. A., & Strickland, G. T. (2000). Racial differences in reported Lyme disease incidence. American Journal of Epidemiology, 152(8), 756-759. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/152.8.756
Skar, G. L., & Simonsen, K. A. (2022). Lyme Disease–Statpearls–NCBI Bookshelf. StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK431066/
Starke, S. J., Rebman, A. W., Miller, J., Yang, T., & Aucott, J. N. (2023). Time to Diagnosis and Treatment of Lyme Disease by Patient Race. JAMA Network Open, 6(12), 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.47184