Lyme disease can be difficult to diagnose. It has similar symptoms to other conditions and there's not always an obvious rash. 2 types of blood test are available to help confirm or rule out Lyme disease. But these tests are not always accurate in the early stages of the disease.
- Can someone have Lyme disease for years and not know it?
- What are the symptoms of undiagnosed Lyme disease?
- Can Lyme disease be dormant for years?
- How do you feel when you have Lyme disease?
- How do you test for Lyme disease years later?
- What are neurological symptoms of Lyme disease?
- Can Lyme disease go away on its own?
- What are the 3 stages of Lyme disease?
- Does Lyme disease show up in blood work?
Can someone have Lyme disease for years and not know it?
Visit your doctor even if signs and symptoms disappear — the absence of symptoms doesn't mean the disease is gone. Untreated, Lyme disease can spread to other parts of your body for several months to years after infection, causing arthritis and nervous system problems.
What are the symptoms of undiagnosed Lyme disease?
Signs and Symptoms of Untreated Lyme Disease
- Fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes may occur in the absence of rash.
- Erythema migrans (EM) rash (see photos): Occurs in approximately 70 to 80 percent of infected persons.
Can Lyme disease be dormant for years?
Lyme disease can remain dormant for weeks, months or even years. When symptoms do eventually develop, they can be severe and patients often need aggressive treatment. Intravenous treatment is often required to treat late-stage infection. Late-stage treatment can last many months as seen in other infections as well.
How do you feel when you have Lyme disease?
Achy, stiff, or swollen joints Joint pain and stiffness, often intermittent, are early Lyme symptoms. Your joints may be inflamed, warm to the touch, painful, and swollen. You may have stiffness and limited range of motion in some joints (1). Pain may move around.
How do you test for Lyme disease years later?
The diagnosis of late-stage Lyme disease can be very difficult, and is usually made by a specialist in infectious diseases. The diagnosis can be confirmed if the affected person has had the characteristic 'bull's eye' rash and has lived or worked in areas where ticks are present, or with a blood test.
What are neurological symptoms of Lyme disease?
What are the symptoms? Neurological complications most often occur in early disseminated Lyme disease, with numbness, pain, weakness, facial palsy/droop (paralysis of the facial muscles), visual disturbances, and meningitis symptoms such as fever, stiff neck, and severe headache.
Can Lyme disease go away on its own?
Can Lyme Disease Go Away on Its Own? It is possible a person with Lyme disease can clear the infection on their own, but it's better to be treated because complications that can arise are very serious. For most people, the disease and its symptoms do not resolve without treatment.
What are the 3 stages of Lyme disease?
Although Lyme disease is commonly divided into three stages — early localized, early disseminated, and late disseminated — symptoms can overlap. Some people will also present in a later stage of disease without having symptoms of earlier disease.
Does Lyme disease show up in blood work?
The Lyme disease blood test looks for antibodies in the blood to the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. The test is used to help diagnose Lyme disease. Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi. It is known as a spirochete because of its long, corkscrew shape.