European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 25, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                To your health Lyme disease the dangers of tick bites by Janet d Agostino medical writer n 1984, Valerie a Ringlon noticed her daughter Cara. Had a lick on the Back of her right ear. The tick was dead and apparently had been there for some time. She removed the lick and did t think about to again until a red ring like rash spread across half of Cara s face. Over the next several weeks 3-year old Cara grew tired. Irritable Andrj complained of headaches. When the right Side of Cara s face became paralysed Farrington and her husband. It. Col. John Hartoon knew thai something was seriously wrong and suspected there might be a connection with the lick bite. I was afraid in was Rocky Mountain spotted lever said Hartoon chief of Community health nursing Al Frankfurt army regional medical Center. Tha harpoons who were living in Maryland Ihen. Brought Cara to three civilian doctors before a diagnosis was made of a then Little known illness called Lyme disease. The disease i caused by a bacteria carried in Deer ticks although the ticks prefer Deer they will also bite other animals and humans. Most cases of Lymo disease occur from april to october when people Are outside camping walking or playing sports in lick infested Grassy and wooded areas. The ticks Are dormant in Winter. The Hai loons believe Cara was Billen by the lick White hey were on vacation in Canada. The symptoms of the disease usually begin with a characteristic red rash that starts at the site of the tick bile and spreads outward. Lyme disease can sometimes Progress to headaches fatigue muscle and joint pain heart palpitations and in its worst form can develop into a thnh like joint pain. The disease can to difficult to diagnose because the symptoms Are characteristic of other disorders and often do nol appear until several weeks or even months after the tick bite. Ollert victims do not have any Way of associating the strange symptoms with the bite because they do nol know they were bitten by a tick said maj. Jay Abercrombie an Antomo Logisz with 1he 10lh medical Laboratory at Lan Stuhl. Some victims never develop inn characteristic red rash but later have the other symptoms such As headaches joint pain and Latigue. Cara s symptoms Starling with the rash began about three weeks after the tick was discovered said her Mother who is a registered nurse. But she did nol know How Long the tits had been on her daughter before it was discovered she said. Cara Hartoon recovered completely from Lyme disease after treatment with penicillin Harpoon said. The disease is not fatal and is treatable with antibiotics usually Tetra Cycle or penicillin in All stages. Like Cara victims usually recover completely after treatment if untreated Lyme disease can develop into chronic arthritis of the Large joints especially the Knees or cause neurological or heart problems. Lyme disease was recognized Only a decade ago but is now the number one tick transmitted disease in the United states surpassing the More widely known Rocky Mountain spotted fever. The disease is also found in Europe the soviet Union China Japan and Africa. Lyme disease is nol As prevalent in Europe As it is in the United Stales where it has become a major health problem particularly in the Northeast numerous articles about Lyme disease have appeared this summer in popular and scientific magazines. Although Lyme disease is not As serious a problem in Europe As it is in the Stales people should be aware of the symptoms and Check themselves and their children Tor ticks after being in Woody or Grassy areas said or. Cot Michael Benenson Chloel of preventive Medicine for 7th medical come. Checking for licks is the Best prevention because insect repellents Are not always effective against licks and wearing protective clothing in the summer is often impractical Abercrombie said. Deer ticks should not be confused with larger dog ticks Deer licks can be As Small As a period in a Story on a newspaper Page and Are not usually larger than 1/16 of an Inch in Width. V a lick of any Type is found an the body the Best Way to remove it is by grabbing the tick near the head with tweezers and firmly pulling it out. Ii won t pop out right away it will take some steady  Abercrombie said. The body of the tick should nol be squeezed because that could push fluid Back into the skin the old wives tales about ways 1o remove licks such As using a lighted match or harsh chemicals should not be used he said. The tick should be saved in a Jar for possible identification by experts if disease symptoms develop. Lyme disease was first recognized in 1975 in Lyme conn., the town for which in was named by or. Allen c. Steere a . It was t until 1982 that the spi Rochele bacteria was identified As the cause. As Early As 1909, a similar condition characterized by a tick bite and an ensuing red rash had been noted in Europe. It was Given the latin name erythema Chr Nicum or plans meaning chronic migrating red rash. New treatment for gallstones associated press he rhythmic bang1 bang bang of Shock wave machines May soon become a Standard treatment for gallstones potentially replacing surgery for More than 200,000 americans annually doctors say. There is every reason to expect that we May be looking Al a new Standard of care for gallstones. Or Randolph b Rem hot of new England medical Center said recently. However some doctors remain sceptical about whether the machine will be useful or Large numbers of gallstone sufferers. One version of the Shock wave machines called Lithol rippers. Is already in widespread use to obliterate kidney stones. They smash stones still inside the body eliminating surgery. Virtually Allol those machines Are made by Cornier medical systems of Weol Germany Dormer will soon begin installing a new version of the device in 10 . Medical centers to lest their use against gallstones however this time other european manufacturers Are expected to introduce rival machines. Dormer vice president David Meiden said the company already has installed 155 kidney Stone Litho trippers in the United states and expects eventually to sell thai Many Goll Slonic machines. Before the introduction of Litho trippers four years ago about 130.000 americans had kidney Slone surgery annually. Surgeons perform galls Lone operations on Between 400.000 and 550.000 americans each year just How Many gallstone victims could be helped by Litho trippers is still unclear. Reinhold predicted that As Many As Hall of them eventually will Benefit. Experts believe Many patients will be Able to get i hair gallstones crushed As outpatients instead of needing operations that require a month s recuperation. The treatment is virtually painless. In West Germany where a dornier machine has been tested on 250 patients most were treated without anaesthesia and the patients suffered no serious Side effects. In Litho Tripler treatment the patient is immersed in a stainless steel tank while an electrode focused on a particular Region of the body sends Shock Waves which pass harmlessly through the patient breaking up the stones. The German doctors have reported on the results of 155 patients and the machine successfully broke up the stones in 154 of them. One of the new dornier machines will be installed Al Massachusetts general Hospital where it Wiel be shared by new England medical Center. Or. Albert Mulley or. A Massachusetts general physician who is not involved with the Hospital s lilo tripper plans expressed concern about the procedure s safety. I think the potential to do More harm than Good with this thing is there he and or. Johnson i. Thistle of the Mayo clinic said the machines May produce fragments of stones that could Block the bile duct. Page 16 the stars and stripes tuesday August 25. 1987