Lyme Disease Symptoms
The symptoms of Lyme disease include:
- A flat or slightly raised red lesion at the site of the tick bite (can be larger than 1
to 3 inches in diameter, often with a clear area in the center)
- Fever
- Headache
- Lethargy
- Muscle pains
- Stiff neck
- Joint inflammation in the knees and other large joints
Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:
- Itching, overall
- unusual or strange behavior
Lyme disease is a collection of effects caused by Bb. Once Bb gains entry to the body
through a tick bite, it can move through the bloodstream quickly. Only 12 hours after
entering the bloodstream, Bb can be found in cerebrospinal fluid (which means it can
affect the nervous system). Treating Lyme disease early and thoroughly is important
because Bb can hide for long periods within the body in a clinically latent state. That
ability explains why symptoms can recur in cycles and can flare up after months or years,
even over decades. It is important to note, however, that not everyone exposed to Bb
develops the disease.
Lyme disease is usually described in terms of length of infection (time since the
person was bitten by a tick infected with Bb) and whether Bb is localized or disseminated
(spread through the body by fluids and cells carrying Bb). Furthermore, when and how
symptoms of Lyme disease appear can vary widely from patient to patient. People who
experience recurrent bouts of symptoms over time are said to have chronic Lyme disease.
Symptoms of Early, localized Lyme disease
The most recognizable indicator of Lyme disease is a rash around the site of the tick
bite. Often, the tick exposure has not been recognized. The eruption might be warm or
itch. The rash--erythema migrans (EM)--generally develops within 3-30 days and usually
begins as a round, red patch that expands. Clearing may take place from the center out,
leaving a bull's-eye effect; in some cases, the center gets redder instead of clearing.
The rash may look like a bruise on people with dark skin. Of those who develop Lyme
disease, about 50% notice the rash; about 50% notice flu-like symptoms, including fatigue,
headache, chills and fever, muscle and joint pain, and lymph node swelling. However, a
rash at the site can also be an allergic reaction to the tick saliva rather than an
indicator of Lyme disease, particularly if the rash appears in less than 3 days and
disappears only days later.
Symptoms of Late, disseminated disease and chronic Lyme disease
Weeks, months, or even years after an untreated tickbite, symptoms can appear in
several forms, including:
- Fatigue, forgetfulness, confusion, mood swings, irritability, numbness
- Neurologic problems, such as pain (unexplained and not triggered by an injury), Bell's
palsy (facial paralysis, usually one-sided but may be on both sides), and a mimicking of
the inflammation of brain membranes known as meningitis; (fever, severe headache, stiff
neck)
- Arthritis (short episodes of pain and swelling in joints) and other musculoskeletal
complaints.
Less common effects of Lyme disease are heart abnormalities (such as irregular rhythm
or cardiac block) and eye abnormalities (such as swelling of the cornea, tissue, or eye
muscles and nerves). |
