Customer question:
What are the signs of old Lyme disease that have not been treated? Anonymous customer's question
Pharmacist's answer:
Untreated Lyme disease can cause a wide range of symptoms depending on the level of infection. Lyme disease that goes untreated for months or years is more challenging to treat with antibiotics. Untreated cases can progress to severe, even fatal medical conditions, from arthritis and nerve pain to heart arrhythmia or Lyme neuroborreliosis (brain and spine inflammation).
Lyme disease causes symptoms that change and intensify as the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi spreads throughout the body. Initial symptoms appear 3 to 30 days after exposure. Lyme disease has three stages: early localized disease, early disseminated disease, and late disseminated disease.
1. stage or early localized disease has a limited set of symptoms. For example, a rash is a common sign of Lyme disease but doesn't always appear. The rash is usually a single ring that slowly spreads from the tick bite site in a radial direction. 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, you may have other symptoms from the previous stages. But, again, symptoms may come and go. Stage 3 symptoms usually begin 2 to 12 months after the tick bite.
Chronic joint inflammation can occur in cases of untreated Lyme disease as the bacteria attack the joints and tissues surrounding the joints. In addition, the body can cause an inflammatory response when the cartilage in the joints is damaged.
Bacteria can cross the brain barrier in sporadic cases and in the later stages of Lyme disease. This can happen because the bacteria keep multiplying and getting stronger when Lyme disease is left untreated. This can cause neurological symptoms such as numbness, pain, weakness, Bell's palsy, visual disturbances, and symptoms of meningitis.
Lyme disease can develop into Lyme carditis if the Borrelia bacterium enters the heart tissue. This can interfere with the standard transmission of electrical signals from the heart's upper to lower chambers, the process that coordinates the heartbeat. Lyme carditis is rare and only occurs in approximately 1% of cases.
Interesting reading: Borreliosis signs
Interesting reading: Lyme borreliosis
