Lyme disease
Signs and symptoms of Lyme disease
Early symptoms
Many people withearly-stage Lyme disease develop a distinctive circular rash at the site of the tick bite, usually aroundthree to 30 days after being bitten. This is known as erythema migrans.
The rash is often described as looking like a bull's-eye on a dart board. The affected area of skin will be red and the edges may feel slightly raised.
The size of the rash canvary significantly and it may expand over several days or weeks. Typically it'saround 15cm (6 inches) across, but it can be much larger or smaller than this. Some people may develop several rashes in different parts of their body.
However,around one in three people with Lyme disease won't develop this rash.
Some people with Lyme disease also experience flu-like symptoms in the early stages, such as tiredness (fatigue), muscle pain, joint pain, headaches , a high temperature (fever), chills and neck stiffness .
Later symptoms
More serious symptoms may develop several weeks, months or even years later if Lyme disease is left untreated or is not treated early on. Thesecan include:
- pain and swelling in the joints (inflammatory arthritis )
- problems affecting the nervous system such asnumbness and pain in your limbs, paralysis of your facial muscles, memory problems and difficulty concentrating
- heart problems such asinflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis) or sac surrounding the heart (pericarditis) , heart block and heart failure
- inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord ( meningitis ) which can causea severe headache, a stiff neck and increased sensitivity to light
Some of theseproblems will get better slowly with treatment, although they can persist if treatment is started late.
A few people with Lyme disease go on to developlong-term symptoms similar to those of fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome .This is known as post-infectious Lyme disease. It's not clear exactly why this happens, but it's likely to be related to overactivity of your immune system rather than persistent infection.
Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dez 2018
Introduction
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread to humans by infected ticks.
Signs and symptoms of Lyme disease
Early symptoms Many people withearly-stage Lyme disease develop a distinctive circular rash at the site of the tick bite, usually aroundthree to 30 days after being bitten. This is known as erythema
When to see your GP
You should see your GP if you develop any of the symptoms described above after being bitten by a tick, or if you think you may have been bitten. Make sure you let your GP know if you've spent time in
How you get Lyme disease
If a tick bites an animal carrying the bacteriathat cause Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi), the tickcan also become infected. The tick can then transfer the bacteria to a human by biting them. T
Who's at risk and where are ticks found?
People who spend time in woodland or heath areas in the UK and parts of Europe or North America are most at risk of developing Lyme disease. Most tick bites happen in late spring, early summer and au
Treating Lyme disease
If you develop symptoms of Lyme disease, you will normally be given a course of antibiotic tablets, capsules or liquid. Most people will require a two- to four-week course, depending on the stage of t
Preventing Lyme disease
There is currently no vaccine available to prevent Lyme disease. The best way to prevent thecondition is to be aware of the risks when you visit areas where ticks are found and to take sensible precau
How to remove a tick
If you find a tick on your or your child's skin, remove it by gently gripping it as close to the skin as possible, preferably using fine-toothed tweezers. Pull steadily away from the skin without twis
"Chronic Lyme disease"
There has recently been a lot of focus on Lyme disease in the media, with much attention on people who've been diagnosed with "chronic Lyme disease". This term has been used by some people to describ
Subscribe
Ask the doctor
Rate this article
Find products