Categories

Symptoms of Lyme Disease 

Lyme disease, also known as borreliosis is a condition caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. [1] The bacterium is carried by the deer tick who becomes infected after deers are fed on infected birds or mice. The tick must remain on the skin for up to thirty-six hours to transmit the bacteria. This condition causes fatigue, fever, stiffness, and sore joints and muscles.

There are three stages of Lyme disease, each stage gets worse than the other.  [2]

Early Localized

Symptoms of early localized Lyme disease start to show within seven to fourteen days after getting infected. The most common symptom is the bull’s eye rash, which is a central red spot that is surrounded by a red ring. This inflamed spot may be warm to touch, but it doesn’t hurt nor itch.

Light-colored skin will show a distinct red spot with the ring, while dark complexions may have what resembles a bruise. Other symptoms of this stage include fever, chills, sore throat, vision problems, muscle aches, and weakness.

Treatment at this stage is most effective and takes only a short period.

Early Disseminated

This stage is next after the early localized stage and may features rash spots separate from the spot of the tick bite. The rashes show that the infection has spread to other parts of the body. Symptoms of this condition include multiple lesions, tingling, numbness, irregular heartbeats, facial and cranial nerve palsies, and meningitis.