During the summer, many of us participate in outdoor sporting events - Marathons, charity runs/walks, cross-country bike rides. In rare cases, people unused to exercise - or even well-trained athletes participating in a grueling endurance event - can experience rhabdomyolysis, a serious syndrome that results when muscle fibers break down and are released into the bloodstream. In these cases, rhabdomyolysis is caused by extreme muscle strain.
Summer is the season of ticks - and the potential to be exposed to a tick-borne illness. One of those illnesses is ehrlichiosis, a bacterial illness that causes mild to severe flu-like symptoms. While you can be exposed to ehrlichiosis via a blood transfusion or by direct contact with an infected, slaughtered animal, most people are infected by a bite from a tick. When a tick latches on to you and feeds it can transmit Ehrlichia chaffeensis bacteria to your bloodstream. The result is a range of flu-like symptoms including:
- Muscles aches
- Joint pain
- Mild fever
- Headache
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Coughing
- Rash
Symptoms usually appear within 14 days of having been bitten by a tick. If you experience the above symptoms and have been in an area with ticks visit your physician. Be certain to tell them that you have been in a region with ticks so they know to check you for signs of a tick-borne illness. Abnormal blood tests are the best indicators of a tick-borne disease. If you are infected, your blood test may show abnormal liver function, low white blood cell count or low platelet count. If you do have ehrlichiosis your physician will mostly likely prescribe a seven- to ten-day round of antibiotics.
While ehrlichiosis is generally a mild infection, people with weakened immune symptoms may experience more serious side effects from ehrlichiosis, such as seizures, coma, respiratory, kidney or heart failure.
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