Lyme disease is one of the most common illnesses in the United States, but its symptoms and means of transmission aren’t widely known. To help raise awareness, we have compiled some additional information on Lyme disease and developed a Lyme disease symptoms checklist for you to reference if you’re showing some signs of infection. Use our checklist below and make sure you consult your doctor.
What is Lyme Disease? Understanding the Causes and Symptoms
Lyme disease is caused by a bacterial illness transmitted to humans by ticks. On the East Coast of the United States, the deer or bear tick is usually responsible for transmitting the disease, whereas on the Pacific Coast it is usually the black-legged tick. The symptoms can appear quickly or gradually over time. The first physical signs of the infection are often similar to the flu, which is why so many people, including doctors, often dismiss Lyme disease symptoms as the flu or the common cold.
How do you Contract Lyme Disease? Preventing Tick Bites and Infection
People get Lyme disease from tick bites. Since ticks are so difficult to spot (most ticks are about the size of a poppy seed), people usually do not even see them until they have already attached to their skin. Ticks have also adapted to attach to a more hidden area of the body like the groin, armpits or scalp and the bites are typically painless. The length of time that a tick can stay attached to your body varies, but the longer a tick stays attached, the higher the chance of it transferring the disease into the bloodstream. According to Lymedisease.org, pregnant women need to be extra cautious since if affected, they can sometimes pass Lyme disease to their unborn children and in a worst case scenario, the disease can cause stillbirth.
In terms of geographical reach, Lyme Disease can be found in many areas. Specifically in the United States, Lyme Disease usually does not occur nationwide and is concentrated mainly in the Northeast and upper Midwest areas. The CDC’s Data and Statistics webpage illustrates a list of the 14 states that Lyme Disease has been previously reported. Lyme Disease is also found in a large portion of Asia, Europe and South America.
Lyme Disease affects people of all ages from small children to older adults. Specifically, firefighters and park rangers need to be extra careful, as they have a higher exposure to ticks because they spend a lot of time outdoors.The CDC also provides great tips on preventing tick bites including avoiding wooded and bushy areas with high grass, walking in the center of a trail, using repellants that contain 20%-30% DEET.
Early Signs and Symptoms of Lyme Disease
In terms of Lyme Disease symptoms, it is important to know that they occur in different phases. In general, early signs and symptoms, which can occur anywhere from 3 to thirty days after the tick bite, can be divided into two main categories: flu-like symptoms and a rash. People may have symptoms that are very similar to the flu such as fever, chills, fatigue, muscle aches and headache. Others may have an Erythema Migrans (EM) rash that is shaped like a bull’s-eye or Bell’s palsy (facial drooping). According to our friends at the Mayo Clinic, anywhere from 3 to thirty days after an infection, an expanding red area might appear which can spread up to 12 inches across. However, the CDC notes that many people develop different patterns of Lyme rash or have none at all, so these are not hard and fast rules, which is another reason why it is hard to diagnose or find. For example, a CDC report on Lyme Carditis found that “only 42% of cases had a rash on their bodies”. In order to distinguish Lyme Disease rashes from their look-alikes, check this pageon the CDC website.
Most cases of early Lyme Diseases detection can be treated successfully with a few weeks of antibiotics taken by mouth. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), some of the antibiotics that can be used to treat the disease are doxycycline, amoxicillin, ceftriaxone. However, if Lyme Disease is not diagnosed and is left untreated, the infection can evolve into a ‘chronic’ form and can spread to other parts of the body like joints, the heart, and the nervous system.
Symptoms of Untreated Lyme Disease: What to Watch For
Later signs and symptoms of Lyme Disease include joint pain, neurological problems, nausea, and diffuse rashes appearing on various areas of our bodies. According to the CDC, it is also notable how the symptoms of Lyme Disease significantly mimic those of other diseases such as chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, depression and Alzheimer’s disease. For this reason many Lyme patients are often initially misdiagnosed by doctors as having a chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis and other psychiatric illness, including depression. In order to be properly diagnosed with Lyme Disease and to receive adequate treatments, there should be a continuous check on the progress of the your symptoms.
Using a checklist to Identify Lyme Disease Symptoms
At Care+Wear, we have compiled a list of Lyme Disease symptoms for you. You can see the following chart below. Please note that we have divided them into two main categories: severity and frequency of symptoms. Also, various symptoms are placed under different parts of our body systems including ears, eyes, reproduction, respiratory, digestive and nervous systems. In addition, symptoms of general well being, mental capabilities and psychological states are also included in this checklist. However, it is important to note that our Lyme Disease checklist is not meant to be used as a sole diagnosis tool, but it is provided to streamline the office interview with your doctors and help in diagnosing the symptoms. You can also learn more about chronic lyme disease through lymedisease.org or by clickinghere.
Also, if you develop any illness within a few days or weeks of a tick bite, you should visit your health care provider right away and be sure to tell the doctor about your recent tick bite, when you were bitten, and where you most likely got the tick bite. Moreover, you should try your best to remove the tick as quickly as possible and to not wait for it to detach by itself. (You can check the CDC’s page that provides the detailed steps required to remove a tick safely and effectively).
| Checklist of Lyme Disease Symptoms: The following are symptoms associated with Lyme Disease. Please check all that apply and consult with your doctor. Please always contact a doctor in case of an emergency and note that this is not an exhaustive list, just a guideline. | |||||||||
| Current Severity | Current Frequency | ||||||||
| Symptom or Sign | None | Mild | Moderate | Severe | Never | Occasional | Often | Constant | |
| Head, Face, Neck | |||||||||
| Neck stiffness, cracks, pain | |||||||||
| Painful teeth | |||||||||
| Difficulty swallowing | |||||||||
| Sore throat | |||||||||
| Hair Loss | |||||||||
| Scalp rash | |||||||||
| General Well‐being | |||||||||
| Extreme fatigue | |||||||||
| Unexplained weight gain/loss | |||||||||
| Difficulty with multitasking | |||||||||
| Continual infections (kidney, yeast) | |||||||||
| Night sweats | |||||||||
| Fevers | |||||||||
| Increased sensitivity to allergies | |||||||||
| Headaches | |||||||||
| Reproduction | |||||||||
| Loss of sex drive | |||||||||
| Menstrual pain, irregularity | |||||||||
| Breast/nipple pain | |||||||||
| Testicular or pelvic pain | |||||||||
| Respiratory/Circulatory | |||||||||
| Shortness of Breath | |||||||||
| Chest pain | |||||||||
| Extra Heart beats, pulse skips | |||||||||
| Heart Attack/block | |||||||||
| High or low blood pressure | |||||||||
| Frequent bruising of skin | |||||||||
| Coughing | |||||||||
| Digestive/Excretory | |||||||||
| Diarrhea/constipation | |||||||||
| Abdominal pain/ bloating | |||||||||
| Irritable bladder | |||||||||
| Frequent need to urinate | |||||||||
| Upset stomach, vomiting | |||||||||
| Anorexia | |||||||||
| Ears, Hearing | |||||||||
| Decreased hearing | |||||||||
| Buzzing/ringing sound | |||||||||
| Sound sensitivity | |||||||||
| Pain in ears | |||||||||
| Eyes, Vision | |||||||||
| Double or blurry vision | |||||||||
| Eye pain, pressure in eyes | |||||||||
| Light sensitivity | |||||||||
| Dry, tearing eyes | |||||||||
| Vision loss, blindness | |||||||||
| Mental Capabilities | |||||||||
| Memory loss (short or long term) | |||||||||
| Attention/concentration problems | |||||||||
| Speech difficulty | |||||||||
| Forgetfulness | |||||||||
| Stuttering speech | |||||||||
| Poor school/work performance | |||||||||
| Psychological | |||||||||
| Mood swings, irritability | |||||||||
| Unusual depression | |||||||||
| Anxiety attacks | |||||||||
| Insomnia | |||||||||
| Paranoia, suspiciousness | |||||||||
| Low self‐esteem | |||||||||
| Aggression | |||||||||
| Obsessive‐compulsive behavior | |||||||||
| Disturbed sleep cycle | |||||||||
| Neurologic | |||||||||
| Confusion, brain fog | |||||||||
| Tremors or unexplained shaking | |||||||||
| Numbness in parts of body | |||||||||
| Lightheadedness, fainting | |||||||||
| Poor balance, dizziness | |||||||||
| Alternation warm/cool sensations | |||||||||
| Low body temperature | |||||||||
| Visual, auditory or odor hallucination | |||||||||
| Skin | |||||||||
| Benign tumor-like nodules | |||||||||
| Rash | |||||||||
Link to other Lyme Disease blog posts:
- How to Support a Loved One with Chronic Lyme Disease
- 5 Important Self-Care Tips If You Have Chronic Illness
- The Ultimate Lyme Disease Gift Guide
- Laura’s Battle with Chronic Lyme Disease
I fear and have suspected of having the possibility of beeing ingected with lyme. One day i found a small tick under my arm but nrvet showed rash. I would li ke to know what to do to find out if i have thanks.
July 22, 2017
Nice and very informative article.