Lyme disease is spread from ticks to humans through the blood. It is a disease caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Deer ticks are the primary carriers of the bacterium, according to the Mayo Clinic. Ticks live in grassy and heavily wooded areas and attach to a human or animal to feast. Symptoms of Lyme disease can be subtle after the initial infection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that each case of Lyme disease can be different, and not all individuals will have all of the symptoms of the infection.
Initial Symptoms
Within three or 30 days of a bite from an infected tick, you may develop a circular rash. The CDC describes this as an erythema migrans (EM), which occurs in 70 to 80 percent of cases. The rash is distinctive in appearance, resembling a bulls-eye, due to the pale pink center of the rash with a darker red ring on the outer edge. Sometimes the rash is itchy or warm, but it is not usually painful. The rash can span up to 12 inches of the body. The EM lesion can spread or appear on other parts of the body.
Symptoms of Illness
Some general signs of illness may accompany the rash. They can resemble the flu, including fatigue, chills, headache, fever, muscle or joint pains and swollen glands. The CDC notes that these symptoms may exist without the rash.
Progressive Symptoms
As the infection spreads, without treatment, you may develop other symptoms that may appear like other disorders. The CDC describes these as a loss of muscle tone on one or both sides of the face, moderate headaches and stiff neck due to brain swelling (meningitis), shooting pains, heart beat irregularities, dizziness or pain in the joints. After several months, you may develop arthritis symptoms with severe swelling or pain in the joints. A small number of individuals may experience chronic problems that last years after infection, including pain, numbness, tingling of the hands or feet and trouble concentrating or short-term memory issues, notes the CDC.
