Signs and Symptoms of Untreated Lyme Disease - CDC

A small bump or redness at the site of a tick bite that occurs immediately and resembles a mosquito bite, is common. This irritation generally goes away in 1-2 ... Skipdirectlytositecontent Skipdirectlytopageoptions SkipdirectlytoA-Zlink LymeDisease SectionNavigation CDCHome Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate SignsandSymptomsofUntreatedLymeDiseaseEspañol(Spanish) Minus RelatedPages medicaliconSeekmedicalattentionifyouobserveanyofthesesymptomsandhavehadatickbite,liveinanareaknownforLymedisease,orhaverecentlytraveledtoanareawhereLymediseaseoccurs. UntreatedLymediseasecanproduceawiderangeofsymptoms,dependingonthestageofinfection.Theseincludefever,rash,facialparalysis,andarthritis. EarlySignsandSymptoms(3to30DaysAfterTickBite) Theappearanceoftheerythemamigransrashcanvarywidely. Fever,chills,headache,fatigue,muscleandjointaches,andswollenlymphnodesmayoccurintheabsenceofrash Erythemamigrans(EM)rash(seephotos): Occursinapproximately70to80percentofinfectedpersons Beginsatthesiteofatickbiteafteradelayof3to30days(averageisabout7days) Expandsgraduallyoverseveraldaysreachingupto12inchesormore(30cm)across Mayfeelwarmtothetouchbutisrarelyitchyorpainful Sometimesclearsasitenlarges,resultinginatargetor“bull’s-eye”appearance Mayappearonanyareaofthebody Doesnotalwaysappearasa“classic”erythemamigransrash PhotosofRashes LaterSignsandSymptoms(daystomonthsaftertickbite) SwollenKnee FacialPalsy Severeheadachesandneckstiffness AdditionalEMrashesonotherareasofthebody Facialpalsy(lossofmuscletoneordroopononeorbothsidesoftheface) Arthritiswithseverejointpainandswelling,particularlythekneesandotherlargejoints. Intermittentpainintendons,muscles,joints,andbones Heartpalpitationsoranirregularheartbeat(Lymecarditis) Episodesofdizzinessorshortnessofbreath Inflammationofthebrainandspinalcord Nervepain Shootingpains,numbness,ortinglinginthehandsorfeet DiagnosisandTesting Moreaboutrashes Asmallbumporrednessatthesiteofatickbitethatoccursimmediatelyandresemblesamosquitobite,iscommon.Thisirritationgenerallygoesawayin1-2daysandisnotasignofLymedisease. ArashwithaverysimilarappearancetoEMoccurswithSouthernTick-associatedRashIllness(STARI),butisnotLymedisease Tickscanspreadotherorganismsthatmaycauseadifferenttypeofrash. usermdsolidiconDiagnosis&TestingprescriptionbottlesolidiconTreatment Pagelastreviewed:January15,2021 Contentsource: CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention,NationalCenterforEmergingandZoonoticInfectiousDiseases(NCEZID),DivisionofVector-BorneDiseases(DVBD) homeLymeDiseaseHome Preventingtickbitesplusicon Onpeople Onpets Intheyard Tickremovalandtesting Transmission Signsandsymptomsplusicon Lymediseaserashesandlook-alikes WhatyouneedtoknowaboutBorreliamayonii Diagnosisandtestingplusicon Laboratoryteststhatarenotrecommended HHSfederalresearchupdatesonLymediseasediagnostics Treatmentplusicon NeurologicLymedisease Lymecarditis Lymearthritis Dataandsurveillanceplusicon HowmanypeoplegetLymedisease? Recentsurveillancedataplusicon Lymediseasemaps:Mostrecentyear Lymediseasechartsandfigures:Mostrecentyear Lymediseasedatatables:Mostrecentyear Historicaldataplusicon Lymediseasemaps:Historicaldata Lymediseasechartsandfigures:Historicaldata Lymediseasedatatables:Historicaldata Surveillancecasedefinitions Surveillanceexplainedandavailabledata MMWRreportsandannualtables Post-treatmentLymediseasesyndrome LymediseaseFAQ Healthcareproviders Educationalmaterials WhyisCDCconcernedaboutLymedisease?plusicon Lymediseasestories Lymediseasevaccine Facebook Twitter LinkedIn SAS stats ExitNotification/DisclaimerPolicy Close LinkswiththisiconindicatethatyouareleavingtheCDCwebsite. TheCentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention(CDC)cannotattesttotheaccuracyofanon-federalwebsite. Linkingtoanon-federalwebsitedoesnotconstituteanendorsementbyCDCoranyofitsemployeesofthesponsorsortheinformationandproductspresentedonthewebsite. Youwillbesubjecttothedestinationwebsite'sprivacypolicywhenyoufollowthelink. CDCisnotresponsibleforSection508compliance(accessibility)onotherfederalorprivatewebsite. FormoreinformationonCDC'swebnotificationpolicies,seeWebsiteDisclaimers. Cancel Continue