Lyme disease, named for Lyme, Connecticut, where it was first discovered, is a tick-borne illness that affects people bitten by ticks carrying Borrelia burgdorferi, a spiral shaped bacteria. In most people, Lyme disease is mild and self limiting, especially if treated early with antibiotics. However, anywhere from 0.5 to 13 percent of people with diagnosed Lyme disease develop chronic Lyme disease, according to a 2007 article in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Neurological Symptoms
One set of symptoms that defines chronic Lyme disease relates to cognitive function, or thinking processes. Problems in this area can include memory loss and problems with concentration, according to the American College of Physicians. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports neurological symptoms such as numbness and tingling in hands and feet as part of chronic Lyme disease. Palsy or paralysis affecting one side of the face (Bell's Palsy) is reported by the Mayo Clinic, as well as sleep disturbances and mood swings.
Musculoskeletal Symptoms
Approximately 10 percent of patients with chronic Lyme disease develop joint pain and swelling, which especially affects the knee joint, according to the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center. This waxes and wanes and may also move from one joint to another. Both large or small joints can be affected, and usually only one or two joints are affected at a time. Asymmetrical limb muscle pain or movement difficulties can also occur, according to a 2005 article on Post Lyme Borreliosis Syndrome in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
Fatigue
Fatigue is one of the hallmark symptoms of chronic or late stage Lyme disease. According to the International Journal of Epidemiology, late stage Lyme disease fatigue is unusually debilitating and extreme; it's described as profound and unusual, different from the vague tiredness of some chronic diseases.
