Today, the best health care of all time is available. Diseases that once meant a death sentence are now treated as easily as a head cold or an upset stomach. However, even with proper care, some diseases still come with serious side effects. While some of these may not take your life, they could alter them significantly. 

Lyme Disease

In general, Lyme disease is not the most well-known illness. While most could tell you the symptoms of heart disease, diabetes, or certain types of cancers, Lyme disease is one that you may not be so informed about. Lyme begins with symptoms similar to the flu. Some will experience headaches, muscle pain, and fatigue.

Because of the similar symptoms, some patients who have been infected are misdiagnosed with other illnesses like chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, or Multiple Sclerosis. This can cause the disease to go untreated. As it progresses, it attacks the nervous system and causes some alarming symptoms including: depression, mood swings, obsessive behavior, violent outbursts, and schizophrenia-like tendencies. From there, many may be misdiagnosed again, this time with severe psychological disorders.

The spread of Lyme disease is through a parasite. A small tick infects most victims. Typically, the tick must be attached for 36 hours or more before the bacterium is transmitted. While most patients won't remember being bit, it is important for health care professionals to consider this factor before a misdiagnosis occurs. 

Syphilis

Everyone has heard about men who went mad because of the sexually transmitted disease, syphilis. Some of the most famous figures in history associated with this disease are Napoleon Bonaparte, Vincent van Gogh, Oscar Wilde, and Adolf Hitler. Legends say it drove these people to madness when, in fact, syphilis will not affect your personality right away. In addition, the disease can be cured.

Personality changes only in the final stages of the disease. This advanced form of the disease is called tertiary syphilis. It begins to affect the individual years [sometimes even decades] after being infected. Gradual, violent forms of mental illness begin to take hold and insanity is one of the main symptoms associated with this stage. 

Pick's Disease

Pick’s disease is a rare and irreversible form of dementia. It will affect a patient's judgment and memory, which can cause it to be misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s disease. Since the disease only affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, it takes its toll on the patient's personality.

These areas of the brain control the person's ability to plan, discern correctly, control emotions, speak, and even understand speech. Some of the symptoms include: violent mood changes, compulsive habits, inappropriate social and moral behavior, depression, difficulty doing everyday tasks, lack of social skills, and poor hygiene.

Researchers are finding new cures all the time. Some project a future where these diseases could be more easily prevented and treated. If you suspect any of these disease may be affecting you or a loved one, visit an urgent care location close to you. Stay informed to help your doctor make a correct diagnosis.