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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staff
The signs and symptoms of Lyme disease are variable, usually involving more than one system. The skin, joints and nervous system are affected most often. In general, Lyme disease can cause:
- Rash. A few days to a month before you have other symptoms, a small, red bump may appear at the site of the tick bite. Over the next few days, the redness expands, forming a rash in a bull's-eye pattern, with a red outer ring surrounding a clear area. The rash, called erythema migrans, is one of the hallmarks of Lyme disease. Some people develop several of these rashes, an indication of bacteria multiplying in the blood stream.
- Flu-like symptoms. Fever, chills, fatigue, body aches and a headache may accompany the rash.
- Migratory joint pain. If the infection is not treated, you may develop bouts of severe joint pain and swelling several weeks to months after you're infected. Your knees are especially likely to be affected, but the pain can shift from one joint to another.
- Neurological problems. In some cases, inflammation of the membranes surrounding your brain (meningitis), temporary paralysis of one side of your face (Bell's palsy), numbness or weakness in your limbs, and impaired muscle movement may occur weeks, months or even years after an untreated infection.
- Less common signs and symptoms. Some people may experience heart problems — such as an irregular heartbeat — several weeks after infection, but this rarely lasts more than a few days or weeks. Eye inflammation, hepatitis and severe fatigue are possible as well.
When to see a doctor
If you know you've been bitten and experience signs and symptoms of Lyme disease — particularly if you live in an area where Lyme disease is prevalent — contact your doctor immediately. Treatment for Lyme disease is most effective if begun early. Only a minority of deer tick bites leads to Lyme disease. The longer the tick remains attached to your skin, the greater your risk of getting the disease.
- Hu L. Treatment of Lyme disease. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 24, 2010.
- Hu L. Clinical manifestations of Lyme disease in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 24, 2010.
- Lyme disease. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/index.htm. Accessed March 24, 2010.
- FDA warns consumers and health care providers not to use bismacine, also known as chromacine. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm150503.htm. Accessed March 29, 2010.
- Wormser GP, et al. The clinical assessment, treatment and prevention of Lyme disease, human granulocytic anaplasmosis and babesiosis: Clinical practice guidelines. Infectious Disease Society of America. 2006;43:1089.
- Lyme disease. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/lymeDisease/understanding/. Accessed March 25, 2010.
- Lyme disease: The facts, the challenge. www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/lymeDisease/PDF/LymeDisease.pdf. Accessed March 29, 2010.
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