Recognizing Early Lyme Disease: Symptoms & Signs

Lyme disease, so called because it was originally recognized in Lyme, Conn., is caused by Borelia burgdorferi bacteria and is transmitted by ticks.

Rash

• Though not present in all Lyme cases, a bull's-eye rash may appear at the tick bite site and can occur within hours to months after the bite.

Headache

• A common side effect of early Lyme disease is a persistent or recurrent headache.

Fatigue

• Extreme fatigue is also a strong indicator of Lyme. It can range from the inability to arouse fully upon waking to tiring too easily throughout the day.

Flu-like symptoms

• Early Lyme disease can feel like the flu, with aches and pains and a general "run down" feeling. It's one of the symptoms that causes Lyme to be misdiagnosed as something else.

Fever

• Since Lyme disease is an infection, the body's natural defense is to produce a fever to kill it.