Woman, now 29, needs 16 joint replacements after catching Lyme disease - Daily Mail

It took doctors four years to diagnose her with arthritis sparked by tick-borne Lyme disease.  About one in four patients suffer this form of the disease, experts say, which spawns when bacteria from the infection enters the joint tissue.

It can lead to permanent damage if it is not treated quickly. .

Bradshaw's case was described by her doctors as 'the worst' form of Lyme arthritis they had ever seen.

Meghan Bradshaw, now 29 and from Charlotte in North Carolina, suffered what doctors said was the 'worst' case of Lyme disease-triggered arthritis they had seen.

The disease — which can trigger arthritis when it gets into joints — led to her hands permanently curling up into a fist (pictured)?

But the disease can also lead to 'Lyme arthritis' when the bacteria behind it gets into joints, leading to inflammation and swelling and leaving sufferers struggling to move joints due to the pain.

Below are details on Lyme arthritis, the medical name for inflammation of the joints caused by tick-borne Lyme disease.

This is when Lyme disease gets into connective tissue in the joints, leading to symptoms similar to arthritis?

It needs to be treated quickly to avoid permanent damage to the joints and the need for joint replacements.

About one in ten patients who catch Lyme disease develop the arthritis, estimates suggest.

Eventually, they suggested she may have rheumatoid arthritis — where the immune system attacks joints.

But Bradshaw lacked the 'rheumatoid factor' — a protein made by the immune sysem that can attack healthy joints — key for the disease.

'She's the worst case of Lyme disease,' he told TODAY

In a release, OrthoCarolina said: 'The misdiagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis worsened the progression of her Lyme disease as treatment had been continually put off.' 

But she is now determined to use her experience to help inspire others and to raise awareness of the risks of Lyme disease. 

Bradshaw has donated five of her amputated joints for research which she hopes will help scientists understand why Lyme disease led to so much damage

She is also now studying public health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, hoping to use her experience to educate others about the risks of Lyme disease