Signs and Symptoms
What is Lyme disease?
Lyme disease (borreliosis) is a bacterial infection spread to humans by a bite from an infected tick from birds, mice, other small rodents and deer. There are many strains of borrelia that cause Lyme disease (borreliosis) in humans just as there are many strains of the flu virus that cause flu symptoms in humans.
Different stages of Lyme
Stage 1: Early infection (within first few days after being bitten by an infected tick).
Stage:2: Early disseminated where the infection spreads (weeks or months up to a year following infected tick bite).
Stage 3: Late disseminated chronic Lyme (more than a year after infected tick bite without treatment)
Stage 4: Post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) where symptoms persist even after treatment.
Onset
Symptoms can appear quickly or gradually over time; they are unbelievably varied, can wax and wane and in advanced stages can affect multiple body-systems. As time passes, treatment and diagnosis becomes more difficult. Early diagnosis and treatment is critical.