Lyme disease is common in the United States and is spread by infected ticks that then bite people or animals. There are two types of ticks that carry Lyme disease in the United States: the deer tick in the Northeast and Midwest and the Western black-legged tick along the Pacific Coast. If left untreated, Lyme disease can lead to problems with your skin, joints, nervous system and heart such as meningitis, joint pain, weakness and numbness of the arms and legs, memory problems, and less commonly irregular heartbeat and eye inflammation. These issues can occur months or even years after a Lyme disease infection. The presence of antibodies cannot always determine if the Lyme disease infection is recent or due to a tick bite in the past, but can provide information that your doctor can use to treat the infection.
TEST DETAILS
Symptoms of Lyme disease are very commonly mistaken for the flu. In the early stages of Lyme disease you may experience headaches, fatigue, sore muscles and joints, and a fever, but it may take anywhere from 3 days to a month for any symptoms to appear, if they appear at all. Up to 25% of those who have the disease show no symptoms. It is possible to not have any symptoms in the early stages of the disease and to not even remember being bitten. One very clear symptom is a round, red rash at the site of the bite. These rashes can get very large.
Lyme disease can be easily treated with antibiotics and is very effective in eliminating the infection. In 10-20% of those infected long term health issues can remain even after treatment, lasting up to 6 months or longer. If the test results are negative but symptoms are still present, a repeat test should be performed a few weeks later as it may take up to 2 months for antibodies to the Lyme disease bacterium to develop.
