Lyme Disease - Symptoms

The way symptoms develop following a tick bite varies widely among individuals. Some people have no symptoms at all. Others have a serious attack

Magnification of a mature deer tick, a carrier for Lyme disease. (Reproduced by permission of

CNRI/Phototake NYC

)

that appears quickly and then disappears. Still others develop a chronic (long-lasting) form of the disease.

One factor that complicates the symptoms of Lyme disease is the latency of the bacterium. Latency means that the bacterium can become inactive for long periods of time. It has not died, but it does not cause any symptoms. Then, at some later date, the bacterium becomes active again and symptoms reappear.

Early, Localized Lyme Disease

The first sign of Lyme disease is usually a rash around the site of the tick bite. It may be warm or itchy. In many cases, the patient may not even notice the rash. Over the next three to thirty days, the rash expands. The center of the rash may clear up, forming a bull's-eye pattern. Or the center may become red.

Other early symptoms of a Lyme infection include headache, fever, chills, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, and swelling of the lymph nodes.

Late, Chronic Lyme Disease

Many cases of Lyme disease go unnoticed and untreated. In such cases, new symptoms may appear a few weeks, months, or even years after the tick bite. These symptoms include:

• Fatigue, forgetfulness, confusion, changes in mood, irritability, and numbness
• Disorders of the nervous system, such as unexplained pain and paralysis of the facial muscles
• Arthritis and other problems with muscles and bones