Lyme Disease: How to Recognize the Signs

Lyme disease is an infection caused by a specific type of bacteria transmitted to humans through a bite from an infected tick.

The Northeastern U.S. is a common region for ticks and Lyme disease. Roughly 476,000 people are diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease each year, according to the CDC.

If left untreated, symptoms of Lyme disease can get progressively worse – ranging from nerve pain and neck stiffness to heart palpitations and arthritis. We explain what signs and symptoms should be indicators that it’s time to visit a healthcare provider.

Early signs of Lyme disease

Lyme disease can affect everyone differently. However, a rash is usually the biggest giveaway – affecting roughly 70-80 percent of people infected with the disease. This rash tends to develop where the person was bitten by a tick. For this to happen, a tick must be present on skin for at least 24 hours.

Aside from a rash, other common symptoms include:

• Fatigue
• Fever
• Headache
• Joint pain or swelling
• Muscle aches
• Rash, usually circular, resembling a bullseye
• Swollen lymph nodes

These symptoms tend to develop between 3 and 30 days after a tick bite, according to the CDC.

Later signs of Lyme disease

In some cases, people do not notice symptoms or think the symptoms are linked to another type of illness. If left untreated, more serious of Lyme disease can begin to develop. These may include:

• Additional rashes on other areas of the body
• Arthritis with pain & swelling (usually in knees and large joints)
• Dizziness spells
• Facial palsy
• Headaches
• Heart palpitations
• Inflammation of brain or spinal cord
• Neck stiffness
• Nerve pain
• Shooting pains, numbness or tingling in hands or feet
• Shortness of breath

“The longer someone goes without treatment, the more likely Lyme disease is to progress and make symptoms worse,” said Lauren Phillips, PA-C. “Visiting a healthcare provider as soon as you recognize any of the early signs of Lyme disease can help you avoid becoming seriously ill.”

Finding treatment for Lyme disease

The earlier someone can be treated for Lyme disease symptoms, the quicker they will recover. Most people who are bitten by a tick and start showing signs of the disease recover fully very quickly.

If a provider suspects someone has Lyme disease, they will usually take a blood sample and send it to a laboratory for confirmation.

Patients who are diagnosed with Lyme disease are given antibiotics to clear up the infection – both for those in the early stages and later stages.

“Antibiotics are very effective at treating patients in various stages of Lyme disease,” Phillips said. “In the rare cases when an advanced infection develops, longer courses of antibiotics are prescribed for the patient.”