Minnesota Health Officials Warn of Fatal Tick Bites

If you know me and are a regular reader/Health Nut then you know I’ve had Lyme Disease– it’s a cause close to my heart. And that’s why this info is important to pay attention to: Minnesota health officials are warning about Lyme-infected tick bites that attack the heart and can cause sudden cardiac death. The first fatal case, reported last year, is being called Lyme carditis.Recently, Steve Stolz noticed that his heart was beating at a slower pace while walking up a hill. After a trip to the emergency room, doctors determined a tick bite disturbed the electrical system of his heart.

From the article:

“Sixty-five percent of patients with Lyme carditis are men and typically younger, ages 15 to 40,” Dr. Alex Campbell of the Minneapolis Heart Institute, told Fox 9. “Nobody understands why, but that’s what we see.”

Only ticks that are attached and have finished feeding (or are near the end of their meal) can transmit Lyme disease and it usually takes a tick 24 hours to start feeding (Editor’s Note- one study found it happened after just 6 hours, take as many precautions as you can ). So remember, even if a tick is attached, it must have taken a blood meal to transmit Lyme disease.

Once the bacteria has been passed into the blood, it burrows into the heart muscle, which causes the electrical signals that keep the heart beating to short circuit. This can cause the heart to slow to a stop or develop a potentially fatal fast rhythm.

According to the CDC, only one percent of patients with Lyme disease will develop Lyme carditis. Thankfully, once caught, the condition can be treated with antibiotics or a temporary pace maker.

Source: MSN