Bartonella Co-infection (written 01/08/09)

Thursday, January 08, 2009
BARTONELLA (Transmitted by ticks & fleas)

This is just one of the many co-infections that people with Lyme Disease can have. I happen to have this one along with Lyme so this not only complicates treatment but it makes my symptoms worse.

Here are some common names. There are multiple strands so you may find other names when researching: Bartonellosis AKA Bartonella AKA Cat Scratch Fever

Common symptoms of bartonellosis include:

~ Fatigue (often with agitation, unlike Lyme disease, which is more exhaustion)

~ Low grade fevers, especially morning and/or late afternoon, often associated with feelings of "coming down with the flu or a virus"

~ Sweats, often morning or late afternoon (sometimes at night) - often described as "thick" or "sticky" in nature

~ Headaches, especially frontal (often confused with sinus) or on top of head

~ Eye symptoms including episodes of blurred vision, red eyes, dry eyes

~ Ringing in the ears (tinnitus) and sometimes hearing problems (decreased or even increased sensitivity - so-called hyperacusis)

~ Sore throats (recurring)

~ Swollen glands, especially neck and under arms

~ Anxiety and worry attacks; others perceive as "very anxious"

~ Episodes of confusion and disorientation that are usually transient (and very scary); often can be seizure-like in nature

~ Poor sleep (especially difficulty falling asleep); poor sleep quality

~ Joint pain and stiffness (often both Left and Right sides as opposed to Lyme which is often on one side only with pain and stiffness that changes locations)

~ Muscle pains especially the calves; may be twitching and cramping also

~ Foot pain, more in the morning involving the heels or soles of the feet (sometimes misdiagnosed as plantar fasciitis)

~ Nerve irritation symptoms which can be described as burning, vibrating, numb, shooting, etc.

~ Tremors and/or muscle twitching

~ Heart palpitations and strange chest pains

~ Episodes of breathlessness

~ Strange rashes recurring on the body often, red stretch marks, and peculiar tender lumps and nodules along the sides of the legs or arms, spider veins

~ Gastrointestinal symptoms, abdominal pain and acid reflux

~ Shin bone pain and tenderness

Bartonella is a bacterium that causes illness, the most commonly known of which is a disease called "Cat Scratch Fever." Thousands of known cases of Bartonella occur in the U.S. each Year, with the vast majority of known cases due to bites from fleas that infest cats or infected dogs (may also occur directly from bites and scratches from infected dogs or cats). Bartonella can also be transmitted by ticks that transmit Lyme Disease. In fact, in a study published recently, deer ticks from New Jersey had a higher prevalence of Bartonella organisms than of Lyme organisms.

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http://thehumansideoflyme.net/viewarticle.php?aid=62

Quite surprising to many physicians, bartonellosis can cause major central nervous system damage, similar in some aspects to the aforementioned Lyme neuroborreliosis. Lyme and bartonellosis symptoms may include encephalitis signified by headaches, major memory loss, rages, seizures, and coma, as well as inflammation of the heart, abdominal pain, bone lesions, and loss of vision.

Until recent years, Bartonella, at onset of infection an endothelial and subsequent red blood cells infector, was considered to cause a relatively benign and common disease otherwise known as cat scratch disease. Now that ticks have become significant transmitters of Bartonella infections into humans, this vectoring appears to amplify victims' general Lyme symptoms, and quite likely amplifies GI tract lining symptoms as well.

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Other good websites I found:

http://www.lymeinfo.net/bartonella.html

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081123222844.htm