What are the symptoms of Lyme disease?
Symptoms of Lyme disease include rash, fever, aches and swelling. You may feel like you have the flu. Left untreated, symptoms can become more serious and include joint swelling and arthritis (inflammation of the joints), especially of the knees. Lyme disease can also affect the nervous system causing stiffness, headache, loss of muscle tone, and even paralysis.
Common symptoms of Lyme disease
Lyme disease causes symptoms that range in type and severity among individuals and may include:
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Aches
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Chills
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Fatigue
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Fever
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Headache
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Muscle pain
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Rash, starting with a bull’s-eye appearance that spreads over time
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Stiff neck
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Swelling of the knees and other large joints
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Swollen lymph nodes
Symptoms that might indicate a serious condition
In some cases, Lyme disease can be a serious condition that should be immediately evaluated in an emergency setting. Because its symptoms can progress to serious conditions, it is important for you to be treated right away. Seek immediate medical care (call 911) if you, or someone you are with, have any of these serious symptoms including:
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Fever
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Heart palpitations and dizziness due to changes in heartbeat
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Loss of muscle tone on one or both sides of the face, possibly indicating paralysis
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Pain that moves from joint to joint
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Severe headaches and neck stiffness, possibly indicating meningitis (infection or inflammation of the sac around the brain and spinal cord)
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Severe swelling in the knees or joints
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Weakness or paralysis in the muscles of the face
INTRODUCTION
What is Lyme disease?
Lyme disease is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which is transmitted through tick bites. The infection resulting from these bites causes swelling, joint pain, rash, and flu-like symptoms. The disease can affect the nervous system, as well, causing headaches,
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CAUSES
What causes Lyme disease?
Lyme disease is an infectious disease caused by a tick bite. These ticks, the deer tick in the Northeast and the western black-legged tick in the Pacific Northwest, carry the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which causes the disease. The bacterium usually lives in rodents and other small animals and is transmitted when a tick bites an infected animal and then bites a human....
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TREATMENTS
How is Lyme disease treated?
If you suspect that you have Lyme disease, your health care provider will perform a series of tests, including drawing your blood to determine whether you have antibodies to the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. Not all of these blood tests are conclusive for Lyme disease, but your doctor will consider the test results together with your symptoms to make a diagnosis....
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