Lyme Disease Symptoms

Lyme disease symptoms can differ from patient to patient. A circular rash is one of the first symptoms in 70 to 80 percent of people infected with Lyme disease. Symptoms of Lyme disease can also include fatigue, joint pain, rash, swollen lymph nodes, and several others. After several months, approximately 60 percent of patients with an untreated infection will begin to have sporadic bouts of arthritis.

 

Lyme Disease Symptoms: Early Symptoms

Usually, one of the first signs of infection is a circular rash called erythema migrans, or EM. This EM rash occurs in approximately 70-80 percent of people infected with Lyme disease. It begins at the site of a tick bite about 3-30 days after the bite occurs. What sets this rash apart from other rashes is that it gradually expands over a period of several days, reaching up to 12 inches (30 cm) across. The center of the rash may become clear as the rash gets bigger, resulting in a bull's-eye appearance. The EM rash may be warm but is not usually painful. Some patients develop additional EM rashes in other areas of the body after several days. Those who are infected can also experience other Lyme disease symptoms fairly early, including:
 
  • Fatigue
  • Chills
  • Fever
  • Headache
  • Muscle and joint aches
  • Swollen lymph nodes.
     
In some cases, these may be the only Lyme disease symptoms experienced.
 

Lyme Disease Symptoms: Days to Weeks Later

Untreated, the infection may spread to other parts of the body within a few days to weeks, producing several other symptoms. These later Lyme disease symptoms can include:
 
  • Loss of muscle tone on one or both sides of the face (called facial or Bell's palsy)
  • Severe headaches and neck stiffness due to meningitis
  • Shooting pains that may interfere with sleep
  • Heart palpitations and dizziness due to changes in heartbeat
  • Pain that moves from joint to joint.
     
Many of these Lyme disease symptoms will resolve, even without treatment.
 
(Lyme Disease Symptoms Continued: Page 2)
Add this article to your Favorites     Email this article     Print
Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD