Symptoms of Lyme Disease

In the classic case, Lyme borreliosis has several stages:

Symptoms of stage 1: (skin phase)

after days to weeks occurs in the majority of Lyme disease Cases (approx. 60-80%) around the bite site skin rash on which one usually starts a Recognize Lyme disease can.
It is known as Erythema chronicum migrans. At the onset of Lyme disease, only seeing a small red spot or elevation, it develops Erythema chronicum migrans within several days to an approx. 5-15 cm large ring-shaped reddening, often seen as central pale.

This is called the ring phenomenon. The fact that not all patients with Lyme disease experience a local skin reaction can be explained by four different subspecies of Borrelia burgdorferi.

Wandering redness

First of all, it is important to say that not every tick bite triggers a Lyme disease infection.

The bacterium is only transmitted from ticks to humans in 1.5-6% of cases and only in a further 0.3-1.4% does the person actually contract Lyme disease, according to the Robert Koch Institute.

In addition, not every tick is a host for Borrelia.
The likelihood of infection depends on the duration of the bite, as the ticks do not transmit the bacterium to humans until the end of the sucking act.

However, if the infection has taken place, wandering reddening is the earliest symptom (stage 1) that occurs after a tick bite.
It becomes noticeable about 3 to 16 days after infection.

First, a red ring forms around the puncture site, which slowly spreads centrifugally and affects an increasingly larger area.

Wandering redness is accompanied by other unspecific symptoms, such as those that can occur with flu: fever and chills, headache and fatigue, nausea, back pain and joint pain.

Since it can easily be mistaken for a summer flu, it is important to watch the tick bite as it progresses so that the skin change is noticed quickly and in good time.

Read our articles on this

• Rash and joint pain
• Skin burns

It is advisable to trace the boundaries of the reddening after a prick with a ballpoint pen and to observe whether the reddening in this area recedes or spreads further.

However, wandering redness does not occur in all cases - a Borrelia infection can still be present.
So this means that the absence of a wandering blush does not rule out the disease.

The infection is only discovered at a later stage, when it has already spread in the body and infiltrated the organs.
In this second stage of the disease, the pathogen triggers inflammation of the organs: meningitis (meningitis), heart muscle inflammation (Myocarditis) and joint pain.

(Further information can be found under "wandering redness", "rash after tick bite", tick bite itches - is that normal?)

Sometimes bluish, coarse skin knots with a diameter of several centimeters can also develop = Lymphadenosis cutis benigna

Accompanying the skin manifestations, symptoms can be as mild fever, a headache and Muscle aches occur.

This first stage can last for an average of six months and then resolve without treatment.
If the findings are unclear, various diagnostic measures can help the suspected diagnosis "Lyme disease"to confirm. Read on Lyme disease test.

Symptoms of stage 2: (spreading phase)

Weeks to months after the tick bite, the borreliosis pathogen spreads throughout the body with severe flu-like symptoms, such as high fever, severe headache and body aches, and meningism (meningitis). In this phase of Lyme disease, erythma migrans foci spread over the entire body occur in 50% of patients (migrare, Latin for to wander, therefore also called wandering redness).

A further 80% of patients with Lyme disease develop meningo radiculitis, i.e. inflammation of the nerve roots (Bujadoux-Bannwarth syndrome), which is very painful and is associated with neurological deficits (e.g. the loss of sensitivity in certain areas of the skin).
For confusion, this can e.g. with a herniated disc. Facial paralysis (partial facial paralysis) can occur as a much rarer, but better known symptom. The facial nerve innervates the facial muscles. If he is damaged, this can include show a drooping corner of your mouth or an inability to frown.

Read more on this topic at: Facial palsy

Read more about neuroborreliosis on our website Neuroborreliosis can be recognized by these symptoms.

Furthermore, borreliosis can lead to wandering arthritis (inflammation of the joints, especially of the knee joint) or carditis (inflammation of the heart), which can lead to heart failure (heart failure).

Stage 3 symptoms (chronic phase)

Various organ disorders can occur for months to years after the infection. This stage shows regional differences. While in the US at this stage it is more common to train a Lyme arthritis come, rule in Europe neurological diseases and skin manifestations.

The Lyme arthritis mainly affects the large joints, usually only one or only a few joints are affected. A constantly changing course can often be observed, with completely symptom-free intervals.

On neurological symptoms can Hearing lossincreased tiredness, Polyneuropathies (Disease of several body nerves that supply the periphery (arms, legs) of the body) and encephalomyelitis (inflammation of the Brain and des Spinal cord) occur.

At the skin can become a so-called Acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans (ACA) train (also Herxheimer's disease called). The ACA is an atrophy (tissue regression) of the skin, which is discolored blue-brown and thin like "Parchment or cigarette paper" becomes.

In all stages of Lyme disease, spontaneous healing can occur even without therapy, and the time between the stages and their duration can vary considerably.

Symptoms after years

The third stage of the disease is only going to be after months or years reached.

In most cases, the symptoms manifest themselves in joint inflammation (arthritis), which is caused by the colonization of the joints with Borrelia.

The knee joint is often affected.
Which caused inflammation in the knee Painthat worsen with exercise. In addition, is a swelling, overheat and Redness noticeable on the skin in the joint region.

As the inflammation progresses, the cartilage in the joint is destroyed and the joint becomes increasingly stiff.

Furthermore, the heart can also be affected by the Borrelia infection if the heart muscle inflammation in the advanced stages has permanently damaged the cardiac output or the rhythm.
Cardiac insufficiency and cardiac arrhythmias can occur.

The brain is rarely affected even after years. If the brain sustainably damaged is takes the cognitive performance from.
Furthermore, the paralysis from the 2nd stage can persist.

Symptoms child / toddler

Children in particular drag themselves to play in the woods and meadows frequent tick bites to.
Therefore, children should be extra careful after playing examined for tick bites become.

The Lyme disease infection manifests itself in children with similar symptoms like adults.
First comes the Wandering redness on, but mostly without further symptoms.

In children, the second stage especially often Nervous system disorders, so one Neuroborreliosis, on.
The nerve that the Facial muscles provided.
This means that the facial muscles can be paralyzed (facial nerve palsy) - one symptom can be drooping of one half of the face.

In addition, meningitis also occurs in children. Facial palsy and meningitis are common in children self-limiting diseases with benign courses.

Joint problems or the involvement of the heart muscle are common in children rather rare Borrelia Infection Complications.

in the third stage also occur in children after years most common arthritis (Joint inflammation), similar to that in adults.

As with pregnant women, the antibiotic doxycycline must not be used in children under 10 years of age, but one has to go back to amoxicillin or cefuroxime.

Symptoms despite antibiotics

The complaints exist despite antibiotic therapy further, can initially through a Change of preparation trying to get the symptoms under control, so one another antibiotic be prescribed.

However, antibiotic therapy is of two to four weeks are usually sufficient And even if the symptoms persist, longer therapy has mostly brought no additional benefit.

Despite the elimination of the pathogen by antibiotic therapy, the symptoms can a little longer continue to exist.

However, these complaints should be for you longer period persist, it speaks against the presence of chronic Lyme disease and the subsequent conditions of the infection should symptomatic treated become.