Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread by infected ticks. If diagnosed and treated early, it can be cured with antibiotics. However, without treatment, the bacteria can spread to joints, heart and central nervous system.
The first symptoms of Lyme disease usually happen within 3-30 days after the bite. Symptoms include a circular or oval rash similar to a mosquito bite.
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The fever associated with Lyme disease is a sign that the bacteria are spreading throughout your body. In the early stages of infection, the fever often rises and falls and may be accompanied by chills and muscle and joint pain. It is important to get medical help if you have these symptoms because the sooner treatment starts, the better your chances of a full recovery.
In the later stages of Lyme disease, your heart and central nervous system can be affected. Commonly, this causes a severe headache and a stiff neck and may lead to meningitis. Other symptoms can include facial paralysis (Bell palsy), numb or weak limbs and memory problems.
If your symptoms are caught and treated in the first few weeks, you can be cured with antibiotics. Your doctor will prescribe a course of oral antibiotics for about 28 days. If your tick bite is recent, a blood test can find disease-fighting antibodies and confirm the diagnosis. If you are diagnosed with Lyme disease in the later stages, you might require intravenous antibiotics.
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Chills are a normal body response to a cold environment, as the muscles contract and relax to create heat. However, chills are one of the early signs of Lyme disease that should prompt a trip to the doctor.
Usually within 3 to 30 days after the bite of an infected tick, a circular bull’s eye rash called erythema migrans appears and expands at or near the site of the bite. In about 60-80 percent of cases, this rash is the first sign of infection.
Other early symptoms include fever, chills, fatigue, headache, stiff aching neck, muscle and joint pain, and swollen lymph nodes. If the disease is not treated, other symptoms may appear later, including severe headache, a stiff neck, a flu-like illness, paralysis of the facial muscles, a swollen heart (Lyme carditis), and arthritis that affects large joints like the knee.
To prevent Lyme disease, wear long sleeves and pants in grassy or wooded areas. Apply bug spray to exposed skin, and check frequently for ticks. If you find a tick, remove it as soon as possible using fine-tipped tweezers. Be sure to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull firmly, straight out. Avoid squeezing, burning or rubbing the tick.
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Fatigue is a common Lyme disease symptom and may be the first sign of infection. It can occur in people of any age and is similar to the fatigue that many experience during the flu. In addition to feeling tired, you may also have joint and muscle pain, swollen lymph nodes (located on the sides of your neck, under your chin, in your armpits and in the groin area), headache, fever and chills.
Fatigue can be difficult to diagnose because it is subjective and varies in intensity from person to person. However, if you have a severe and persistent fatigue and have tried to address the usual causes, such as lack of sleep or poor diet, it is worth seeing your doctor.
Often, early Lyme disease symptoms begin hours, days or sometimes weeks after a tick bite. At this stage, the bacterial infection is localized and it’s easiest to cure with a course of antibiotics. If untreated, the bacterium can spread to other parts of the body, causing serious and debilitating symptoms such as facial paralysis, meningitis or heart disease.
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A characteristic feature of Lyme disease is joint pain, usually in one or more large joints. This symptom develops a few days to a few weeks after the bite, and may begin in the area of the tick bite. The pain may spread over a wide area of the body.
If untreated, the bacteria can cause a more serious infection that affects the heart and nervous system. The symptoms of this late stage of Lyme disease (known as disseminated Lyme disease or neuroborreliosis) can occur weeks, months or years after the bite. They can include severe headache and stiff neck; paralysis of the facial muscles; a feeling of fluttering in the chest or heartbeat (palpitations); nerve problems such as pain, numbness or weakness; or memory and concentration problems.
To diagnose Lyme disease, your doctor will do a physical examination. They will check your joints for pain and swelling. They will also test your rashes and lymph nodes. They may order X-rays of the affected joint to check for fluid or bone damage. They will take a blood sample to measure antibodies to the borrelia bacteria, and they may also recommend cerebrospinal fluid collection (lumbar puncture). This will help confirm a diagnosis.
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Lymph nodes are bean-shaped glands that monitor lymph (a fluid that carries infection-fighting white blood cells) as it passes through them and clear away damaged cells. They also store immune system cells that destroy invaders like bacteria. You have hundreds of these little glands scattered throughout your body, but they cluster in a few major areas like your neck, armpits and groin.
The first symptom of Lyme disease is often a red, expanding rash called erythema migrans at the site of the tick bite. During this early stage, symptoms are similar to the flu and include fever, chills, and enlarged lymph nodes.
Swollen lymph nodes, or enlarged lymphadenopathy, are usually a sign of inflammation and infection in the lymphatic system. They may ache or feel hard and firm.
In the early disseminated stage of Lyme disease, the bacteria spread through your bloodstream and cause symptoms like a flu-like illness. Rarely, the bacteria can reach the nervous and cardiac systems of your body in this phase. If treated quickly, this stage is easily cured with antibiotics. Untreated, the disease can advance to a long-lived, debilitating condition known as post-Lyme disease syndrome.