If you like to spend time outdoors in the summer, you may already be aware of the importance of checking yourself for ticks afterwards. And, if you live in certain areas of the country, then Lyme disease is likely to be on your radar.
But knowing that you can contract Lyme disease from a tick bite and actually knowing what symptoms to look for are two different things. So, what Lyme disease symptoms to look for? Here’s what you need to know.
What are the symptoms of Lyme disease?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Lyme disease can cause a range of different symptoms, and depending on how long you’ve been infected, you may experience different signs of illness. the CDC says these are the most common symptoms that can occur 3 to 30 days after a tick bite:
● Fever
● chills
● headache
● Fatigue
● Muscle and joint pain
● Enlarged lymph nodes
● Migratory erythema (also known as bull’s-eye rash)
The CDC says that a few days to a few months after you are infected, you may experience symptoms such as
● Severe headaches and stiffness in the neck
● Rash on other parts of the body
● Facial paralysis
● Arthritis with severe joint pain and swelling
● Intermittent pain in tendons, muscles, joints and bones
● Palpitations or arrhythmia (called Lyme heart disease)
● Dizziness or episodes of shortness of breath
● Inflammation of the brain and spinal cord
● Nerve pain
● Tingling, numbness or tingling in the hands and feet
What is Lyme disease again?
According to the CDC, Lyme disease is a tick-borne disease, usually caused by Burkholderia sp. It is transmitted to people through a point of an infected black-legged tick.
If left untreated, Lyme disease can spread to the joints, heart and nervous system.
How do you know if you have Lyme disease or another disease?
Thomas Russo, M.D., professor and director of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo in New York, says diagnosing Lyme disease can be tricky given that its symptoms can be similar to other diseases. “If you have the typical rash, you might think you have Lyme disease,” Dr. Russo said. “But not all of the symptoms are typical, and Lyme disease can mimic many other things.”
Still, your doctor can order blood tests, including an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test, to look for antibodies to Burkholderia spirochetes in your blood, the Mayo Clinic says. Another blood test, called a protein blot test, is often performed to confirm the diagnosis, according to the Mayo Clinic.
How is Lyme disease treated?
Lyme disease is usually treated with a 10- to 14-day course of antibiotics – doxycycline, amoxicillin or cefuroxime, the CDC says.
If you develop more serious complications, such as Lyme heart disease or neurological symptoms, you may need antibiotics through an IV, the CDC says.
How worried should you be about Lyme disease?
Ticks carrying Lyme disease have been found in the eastern half of the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So if you live in that area and have been bitten by a tick, then you should at least be aware of the symptoms of Lyme disease, according to Michael Zimring, M.D., director of the Center for Wilderness and Travel Medicine at Mercy Medical Center. and co-author of the book, Healthy Travel.
But Dr. Zimring says you shouldn’t panic if you’ve been bitten. “If you’ve been bitten by a tick and you’re fairly certain it lasted less than 36 hours, I wouldn’t worry unduly,” he says.
Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, agrees.
“Lyme disease does not spread immediately,” he says. “Ticks have to attach for about 48 to 72 hours for transmission to occur, so people shouldn’t worry about just being bitten by a tick without a prolonged tick attachment.”
When to call your doctor
Dr. Russo says if you have been bitten by a tick and are experiencing symptoms of Lyme disease, it’s important to call your doctor as soon as possible. The same should be true if you have symptoms of Lyme disease but aren’t sure if you’ve been bitten by a tick recently, he says.
And, if you happen to find a tick on you and you’re not sure how long it’s been attached, Dr. Zimring recommends that you call your doctor as well. If you act quickly, he says, they can give you a prophylactic dose of antibiotics to reduce your risk of developing Lyme disease.