13 Things You Need to Know About Lyme Disease

Image from Ayacop via Wikimedia Commons
Image from Ayacop via Wikimedia Commons

By Katherine Dempsey, Runner's World

Sunburns and bug bites--two major pains of summertime fun. Whether you're out camping, at the beach, or working out in the sun this summer, it's important to spot the symptoms of one of the fastest growing infectious diseases in the U.S.. Lyme disease is often misunderstood, and when left untreated, can lead to some dangerous complications (read one runner's horror story, here.) Below, we set the record straight on 5 lyme disease myths, and instead offer up 8 key ways to identify, treat, and cope with the dreaded tick bite.

RELATED: How tricky is it to get ticks to pose for a pic? Learn how to spot one--check out the behind-the-scenes details of our photoshoot to see images of what a tick really looks like.

MYTH #1 Lyme always presents itself with a bull's-eye rash.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 30 percent of people infected with Lyme disease don't get a rash. Whether or not someone develops a rash likely depends on differences within individual immune systems, says Thomas Mather, Ph.D., director of the University of Rhode Island's Center for Vector-Borne Disease and TickEncounter Resource Center. And if a rash does appear, it doesn't always take a bull's-eye shape. Some research has shown that it more commonly appears as a red, raised region.

MYTH #2 Trails are the only places where you are vulnerable to tick bites.

You could find a tick in your backyard, on suburban park paths, or on the side of a road. "My whole campaign these days is there are more ticks in more places than ever before," Mather says. Ticks feed on deer, and a higher white-tailed deer population in North America allows ticks to thrive and has resulted in more tick reproduction, Mather says. And as suburban communities spread into deer and mice habitats, the risk increases.

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MYTH #3 If you've been bitten by a tick, you'll get Lyme.
Only blacklegged ticks and western blacklegged ticks transmit Lyme (lone star ticks and American dog ticks do not). And even if one bites you, it must first be infected with the bacteria, Mather says. Blacklegged ticks are more aggressive in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, upper Midwest, and on the Pacific coast. What's more, Mather estimates that the tick must be attached for one to two-and-a-half days to give you the disease. If you spot it and remove it promptly, you'll likely avoid infection.

MYTH #4 If you get Lyme, you'll suffer from long-term, chronic symptoms.

Not necessarily. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that 10 to 20 percent of Lyme patients deal with symptoms that persist beyond six months. Identifying symptoms and getting treatment quickly is the best way to lower the chance you'll experience chronic issues. Mather, a marathon runner, tested positive for Lyme in 2002, but soon after beginning antibiotic treatment he finished a 10-mile race at 6:30-per-mile pace.

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MYTH #5 You can get Lyme from your four-legged running buddy.
Not exactly. If your dog contracts Lyme, you can't catch it from him, just like you can't catch it from a spouse or a running partner. (Watch out for these 11 Diseases You Can Catch From Your Pet, though.) But your dog could carry a tick into your house, where it may roam on the floor or on a couch--and then attach to you. "That's where your dog potentially presents an added issue," Mather says. He recommends treating your dogs with Advantix II or Frontline Tritak.

Ticked Off!: Bitten Find a tick? Here's what to do

Remove It
Use pointy tweezers to grasp the tick as close as possible to your skin's surface. Pull upward with steady pressure and avoid twisting or jerking it, which could cause some of the parts to break off in the skin. Watch a video demonstration, here.

Keep It

Tick expert Thomas Mather recommends placing the tick in a Ziploc bag and writing down the date of removal so you can show your doctor if you develop Lyme symptoms. You can also send your tick to a lab to get it tested; tickencounter.org lists options.

Sanitize

After removal, disinfect the bite area and wash your hands with soap and water.

Identify It
Different kinds of ticks carry different pathogens, so you'll want to figure out the species that bit you. Mather's TickEncounter Resource Center supplies photos to help you determine the type of tick and how long it might have been attached (ticks grow larger the longer they're attached). Mather encourages you to take a photo of the tick and submit it to his resource center, which monitors tick activity.

Seek Medical Attention
If you remove an adult blacklegged tick that was attached to your skin for two days or more, you have a high risk of contracting Lyme disease, says Mather. And so he recommends asking your doctor for a dose of the antibiotic doxycycline as a proactive measure. If a blacklegged tick was attached for less than a day, your risk of being infected is lower. But Mather still recommends saving the tick in case you begin feeling ill later. And of course, if you start to develop Lyme symptoms, see your doctor.

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Ticked Off! : Avoid the Bite Tick expert Thomas Mather on how to protect yourself on outdoor runs

Wear Repellent
If you live in a high-risk area, Mather advises spraying your shoes and running shorts with clothing-specific repellents containing permethrin. A coating of permethrin is effective for a month on your shoes and through 70 washings on your clothes. Mather prefers permethrin over DEET, which loses effectiveness after 30 minutes.

Stay Centered
If you're running on trails or a park path, stick to the center and away from the edges, where ticks tend to lurk. Ticks lie low in tall grasses (they're not hanging out in trees waiting to hop onto you).

Do Tick Checks

Strip off your running clothes and check your body for ticks as soon as you can after running outdoors. Ticks might land on your foot or ankle and migrate up. Pay particular attention to these areas: underarms, around the ears, inside the belly button, back of the knees, head, groin, waistline. Look for any freckles (ticks are that small) that seem unusual.

More from Runner's World: How to Protect Your Skin All Summer