Lyme Disease & Mimicking Illnesses: What You Need to Know

Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted by the bite of a tick. Both humans and animals can get Lyme disease. Lyme disease can prove a difficult illness to diagnose because of the vagueness of its symptoms, ones that are present in many other diseases as well.

Common Cold or Flu

• Early symptoms of Lyme disease can present as a fever, aches and pains, head colds, and overall lethargy---basically the same symptoms of the common cold or flu.

Arthritis

• In later stages of the disease, the bacteria attacks the joints, causing inflammation and swelling similar to that of arthritis. A person may chalk up these aches and pains to getting old, when in fact they are related to Lyme disease.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

• Persistent Lyme disease can show up as significant fatigue, like that seen in patients suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome.

Migraines

• Headaches and migraines are common with Lyme disease, but may go unnoticed as a symptom of the disease because they are so common in general.

Heart Attack

• In severe, untreated cases of Lyme disease, a person can develop pericarditis, a swelling of the heart tissues surrounding the heart, which can be mistaken for a heart attack.