The list of medical symptoms mentioned in various sources for Lyme disease may include:
List of 60 Lyme disease Symptoms
Note that Lyme disease symptoms usually refers to various medical symptoms known to a patient, but the phrase Lyme disease signs may often refer to those signs that are only noticable by a doctor.
In its early stage, Lyme disease may be a mild illness with flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, fatigue, muscle aches, and joint pain. Symptoms appear within 7 to 10 days following the infected tick's bite. Many people bitten by an infected tick develop a large, expanding skin rash around the area of the bite. The rash may feel hot to the touch, but is usually not painful. Rashes vary in size, shape, and color, but often have a "bull's eye" appearance (a red ring with a clear center). Nervous system abnormalities may include numbness, pain, weakness, Bell's palsy (paralysis of the facial muscles), visual disturbances, and meningitis symptoms such as fever, stiff neck, and severe headache. Other problems, which may not appear until weeks, months, or years after a tick bite, include memory or thinking difficulties or nerve damage in the arms and legs. (Source: excerpt from NINDS Neurological Sequelae Of Lyme Disease Information Page: NINDS)
In most people, the
first symptom of Lyme disease is a red rash known as erythema migrans (EM). The
telltale rash starts as a small red spot at the site of the tick bite. The spot
expands over a period of days or weeks, forming a circular or ovalshaped rash.
Sometimes the rash resembles a bull's eye, appearing as a red ring surrounding a
clear area with a red center. The rash, which can range in size from that of a
dime to the entire width of a person's back, appears within a few weeks of a
tick bite and usually occurs at the site of a bite. As infection spreads, rashes
can appear at different sites on the body.
Erythema migrans is often
accompanied by symptoms such as fever, headache, stiff neck, body aches, and
fatigue. Although these flu-like symptoms may resemble those of common viral
infections, Lyme disease symptoms tend to persist or may occur intermittently.
Arthritis. After several months of being infected by
B. burgdorferi, slightly more than half of those people not treated
with antibiotics develop recurrent attacks of painful and swollen joints that
last a few days to a few months. The arthritis can shift from one joint to
another; the knee is most commonly affected. About 10 to 20 percent of untreated
patients will go on to develop chronic arthritis.
Neurological
Symptoms. Lyme disease can also affect the nervous system, causing
symptoms such as stiff neck and severe headache (meningitis), temporary
paralysis of facial muscles (Bell's palsy), numbness, pain or weakness in the
limbs, or poor motor coordination. More subtle changes such as memory loss,
difficulty with concentration, and a change in mood or sleeping habits have also
been associated with Lyme disease.
Nervous system abnormalities usually
develop several weeks, months, or even years following an untreated infection.
These symptoms often last for weeks or months and may recur.
Heart Problems. Fewer than one out of ten Lyme disease
patients develops heart problems, such as an irregular heartbeat, which can be
signalled by dizziness or shortness of breath. These symptoms rarely last more
than a few days or weeks. Such heart abnormalities generally surface several
weeks after infection.
Other Symptoms. Less commonly,
Lyme disease can result in eye inflammation, hepatitis, and severe fatigue,
although none of these problems is likely to appear without other Lyme disease
symptoms being present. (Source: excerpt from Lyme Disease - The Facts, The Challenge: NIAID)
Early Infection
Lyme disease most often presents with a characteristic "bull's-eye" rash, erythema migrans, accompanied by nonspecific symptoms such as fever, malaise, fatigue, headache, muscle aches (myalgia), and joint aches (arthralgia). (Source: excerpt from Lyme Diagnosis: DVBID)
Some infected individuals have no recognized illness (asymptomatic infection determined by serological testing), or manifest only non-specific symptoms such as fever, headache, fatigue, and myalgia. Lyme disease spirochetes disseminate from the site of the tick bite by cutaneous, lymphatic and blood borne routes. The signs of early disseminated infection usually occur days to weeks after the appearance of a solitary erythema migrans lesion. In addition to multiple (secondary) erythema migrans lesions, early disseminated infection may be manifest as disease of the nervous system, the musculoskeletal system, or the heart. Early neurologic manifestations include lymphocytic meningitis, cranial neuropathy (especially facial nerve palsy), and radiculoneuritis. Musculoskeletal manifestations may include migratory joint and muscle pains with or without objective signs of joint swelling. Cardiac manifestations are rare but may include myocarditis and transient atrioventricular blocks of varying degree. B. burgdorferi infection in the untreated or inadequately treated patient may progress to late disseminated disease weeks to months after infection. The most common objective manifestation of late disseminated Lyme disease is intermittent swelling and pain of one or a few joints, usually large, weight-bearing joints such as the knee. Some patients develop chronic axonal polyneuropathy, or encephalopathy, the latter usually manifested by cognitive disorders, sleep disturbance, fatigue, and personality changes. Infrequently, Lyme disease morbidity may be severe, chronic, and disabling. An ill-defined post-Lyme disease syndrome occurs in some persons following treatment for Lyme disease. Lyme disease is rarely, if ever, fatal. (Source: excerpt from Lyme Diagnosis: DVBID)
Within days to weeks following a tick bite, 80% of patients will have a red, slowly expanding "bull's-eye" rash (called erythema migrans), accompanied by general tiredness, fever, headache, stiff neck, muscle aches, and joint pain. If untreated, weeks to months later some patients may develop arthritis, including intermittent episodes of swelling and pain in the large joints; neurologic abnormalities, such as aseptic meningitis, facial palsy, motor and sensory nerve inflammation (radiculoneuritis) and inflammation of the brain (encephalitis); and, rarely, cardiac problems, such as atrioventricular block, acute inflammation of the tissues surrounding the heart (myopericarditis) or enlarged heart (cardiomegaly). (Source: excerpt from Questions and Answers About Lyme Disease: DVBID)
Rash and flu-like symptoms in early, localized disease. Disseminated disease includes arthritis, carditis and neurologic disorders (Source: excerpt from Facts About Lyme Disease: CDC-OC)
More detailed symptom information may be found on the symptoms of Lyme disease article. In addition to the above medical information, to get a full picture of the possible signs or symptoms of this condition and also possibly the signs and symptoms of its related medical conditions, it may be necessary to examine symptoms that may be caused by:
These general reference articles may be related to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:
The phrase "signs of Lyme disease" should, strictly speaking, refer only to those signs and symptoms of Lyme disease that are not readily apparent to the patient. The word "symptoms of Lyme disease" is the more general meaning; see symptoms of Lyme disease.
The signs and symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Lyme disease. This medical information about signs and symptoms for Lyme disease has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Lyme disease signs or Lyme disease symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Lyme disease may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Lyme disease symptoms.
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