Customer question:
What are the signs of Lyme disease? Anonymous customer's question
Pharmacist's answer:
Symptoms of Lyme disease vary and usually appear gradually. But the stages of Lyme disease symptoms can overlap, and some people don't show signs of the typical early stage. Early Lyme disease symptoms usually appear within 3 to 30 days after a tick bite.
The first stage has a limited range of symptoms and is called early localized disease. A rash is a common sign of Lyme disease but doesn't always appear. The rash is usually a single ring slowly spreading from the tick bite site. The rash is often warm to the touch but usually not painful.
Other stage 1 symptoms include:
- fever
- headache
- extreme fatigue
- joint stiffness
- muscle pain
- swollen lymph nodes
Stage 2 may include symptoms of Stage 1 and the following:
- neck pain or stiffness
- numerous rashes on other parts of the body
- muscle weakness on one or both sides of the face
- immune system activity in heart tissue that causes an irregular heartbeat
- immune system activity in the eye nerves that causes pain or vision loss
- pain that starts in the back and hips and spreads to the legs
- pain, numbness, or weakness in the arms or legs
- painful swelling of eye tissue or eyelid
In the third stage, symptoms from previous stages and other symptoms may appear. This stage is called late disseminated disease. Symptoms may come and go. Stage 3 symptoms usually begin 2 to 12 months after the tick bite.
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Interesting reading: Signs of Lyme
