I am confused about bart marks. My hubby had red looking bart marks appear several years ago but we assumed they were stretch marks. They appeared on the left and right of his waist, lower back, and arms. At the time I was sick but knew nothing about Lyme or Bartonella. Now that I know I have lyme I wonder if my hubby could have been bit too. The redness faded and they look like scars or stretch marks now. Do bart marks leave scars? Does the redness fade without treatment as they did on my hubby?
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
I'm sorry. I don't know the answer to your question, but someone here will!!
BRAIN: Encephalopathy may occur 1-6 weeks after the initial infection and is fairly common in patients with Bartonella. Note: Approximately 50 percent of patients who develop Encephalopathy can be affected by seizures (from focal to generalized, and from brief and self-limited to status epilepticus). Headaches, Cognitive Dysfunction, and CNS Lesions may be evident.
RASH AND LYMPHADENITIS: Erythematous papules (red splotches or slightly raised red spots) may develop. Such papules occasionally occur on the lower limbs but are more common on the upper limbs, the head, and neck. The papules may appear on the skin or mucous membranes. Bartonella may also cause subcutaneous nodules, with some bone involvement possible. The nodules may show some hyperpigmentation, be tender, fester, and/or be enlarged or swollen, but not always.
EYES: Conjunctivitis, Bartonella Neuroretinitis, Loss of Vision, Flame Shaped Hemorrhages, Branch Retinal Artery Occlusion with Vision Loss, Cotton Wool Exudates, Parinaud's Oculoglandular Syndrome, and Papilledema.
BONES AND MUSCLES: Osteomyelitis, Myositis, Osteolytic Lesions (softening of bone), Myelitis, Radiculitis, Transverse Myelitis, Arthritis, Chronic Demyelinating Polyneuropathy.
HEART: Endocarditis, Cardiomegaly. Possible lab findings: The following may show up during standard testing: Thrombocytopenia, pancytopenia, anemia, elevated serum alkaline phosphatase level, elevated bilirubin, abnormal liver enzymes. X-ray of the bone may show areas of lysis or poorly-defined areas of cortical destruction with periosteal reaction. Cardiomegaly may show up on a chest X-Ray.
Biopsies of lymph nodes reveal pathology often indistinguishable from sarcoidosis. Reports of biopsies strongly suggestive of lymphoma do occur. Tests occasionally show an enlarged liver with multiple hypodense areas scattered throughout the parenchyma.
Posted by Lisianthus (Member # 6631) on :
YES, Bart stretch marks can leave scars but usually only after the bart has been treated. Has he been on abx for anything? Sinus infection.....??
My twin sons had the bart stretch marks and after a few months of abx (doxy/mino) the marks went away but left scars. They also had these marks on their hips towards the waist, under arms and innner thighs.
When I took them to a LLMD is when we found out what the marks actually were. I thought they were weird stretch marks because of some weight gain (10 lbs) I was very ignorant at that time.
Good luck, Lisi
Posted by CricketSC (Member # 11111) on :
Yes, he has been on abx in past years for a tooth infection. He was on them for to weeks. For ten years now he has had elevated ALT and AST liver tests. The doctors have tested him for Hepatitis A, B, and C and all were negative. He was also tested for cirrhosis and those tests were negative as well. The doctors can not find the cause of the elevated levels. I can't help but to wonder with the marks if it is bart?