Arthritis Forum - arthritis from tick bite ?

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Q: arthritis from tick bite ?

asked by: flamepro2003 on June 3rd, 2009

New User

Hi,I found out I have arthritis 1-2 months ago and I'm 28 years old. Does anyone know if you can get arthritis from a tick bite? I was bit by one June of last year and I've been sick since last October,but my joint pain started in December. I've been in pain and they finally did a scan of my body and found arthritis in 4 places..the hips,lower spine,sternum,and clavicle. I can feel it in my hips if I bend over for a certain amount of time..but my ribs have been killing me. The pain goes from my right rib to my arm and into my shoulder. Any info is greatly appreciated,thank you!

Replies(4)

Dr. Manoranajan Chowhan

replied on June 13th, 2009

You might be suffering from a rare form of arthritis that arises from tick bite however the organism that may be responsible is Borrelia burgdorferi transmitted by tick bite this is also known as Lyme disease.
Please consult a Rheumatologist , who can manage this problem.

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flamepro2003

replied on June 23rd, 2009

New User

Thank you so much for responding. I've had the ELISA test done and it was equivocal and so they did the Western Blot test and there was 1 reactive band and it was the 23 kd IgM. And my ELISA was 1.03 H. They said positive is 1.10,so I was close to it. I might just make an appointment to see a Rheumatologist. Thank you again.

seekfind

replied on August 24th, 2009

New User

Unfortunately, the sensitivity of Lyme testing is at 46%, far below the 95% cutoff required for an *accurate* diagnostic test (and much worse than the 99.5% sensitivity of commercial HIV testing, for example).

Do not rely on the results of a faulty test!

The only reliable way is to find a Lyme literate MD in your area. He/she can rule it out or diagnose it.

flamepro2003

replied on September 8th, 2009

New User

Thank you seekfind. I've heard they're not reliable. I had it done by Quest. I had the test done a couple of times(months apart)and they both came out the same(equivocal),and so I keep wondering if I do have some form of a disease from the tick. The nasty part is,is that the bite site was infected and I didn't know it. I kept on having flu-like symptoms(still do)and I found out that the rest of the tick was still in there after 7 months. I finally got it out and the site healed up.

I'm gonna look around for an LLMD in my area. Thank you again!! Smile

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