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Summary
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection you get from the bite of an infected tick. The first symptom is usually a rash, which may look like a bull's eye. As the infection spreads, you may have
- A fever
- A headache
- Muscle and joint aches
- A stiff neck
- Fatigue
Lyme disease can be hard to diagnose because you may not have noticed a tick bite. Also, many of its symptoms are like those of the flu and other diseases. In the early stages, your health care provider will look at your symptoms and medical history, to figure out whether you have Lyme disease. Lab tests may help at this stage, but may not always give a clear answer. In the later stages of the disease, a different lab test can confirm whether you have it.
Antibiotics can cure most cases of Lyme disease. The sooner treatment begins, the quicker and more complete the recovery.
After treatment, some patients may still have muscle or joint aches and nervous system symptoms. This is called post-Lyme disease syndrome (PLDS). Long-term antibiotics have not been shown to help with PLDS. However, there are ways to help with the symptoms of PLDS, and most patients do get better with time.
NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
- Beware of Ticks … & Lyme Disease (Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
- Lyme Disease (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
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Lyme Disease
(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
- Lyme Disease Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Tick Talk: Block Tick Bites and Lyme Disease (National Institutes of Health)
Symptoms
- Signs and Symptoms of Untreated Lyme Disease (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Diagnosis and Tests
- Lyme Disease Tests (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
Prevention and Risk Factors
- DEET, Showers, and Tick Checks Can Stop Ticks (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Protect Yourself against Tick-Borne Disease (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
- Tick Removal: A Step-by-Step Guide (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Travelers' Health: Protection against Mosquitoes, Ticks, and Other Arthropods (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Treatments and Therapies
- Lyme Disease Treatment (Beyond the Basics) (UpToDate)
Related Issues
- Lyme Disease Transmission (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Neurological Complications of Lyme Disease (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Specifics
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Chronic Lyme Disease (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
- Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Images
- Lyme Disease (Logical Images)
Health Check Tools
- Lyme Disease: Fact or Fiction? (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Statistics and Research
- Lyme Disease Data (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Lyme Disease (National Institutes of Health)
Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
Children
- Lyme Disease (For Kids) (Nemours Foundation)
- Lyme Disease (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Teenagers
- Lyme Disease (Logical Images)
- Lyme Disease (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Patient Handouts
- Beware of Ticks … & Lyme Disease (Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
- Lyme disease Also in Spanish
- Lyme disease antibody Also in Spanish
