What Is Lyme disease?

Since Lyme disease is a multi-systemic illness, there are a wide variety of possible symptoms. These symptoms may vary from mild to severe, and they may come and go. The longer the disease remains undetected, the more difficult it is to treat, and treatment failures do occur.  Since early detection and treatment is critical, seek medical advice from a physician experienced with tick-borne illnesses as soon as possible if you think you may have symptoms of Lyme or another tick-borne illness.

Interesting FACTS about Lyme disease and testing from ILADS

Lyme Disease and associated tick-borne diseases: The Basics- 2007, 5th Edition from LDA of SE PA  (in pdf format)  Read or print the full text. (15 pages). 

The 2007 "Basics" guide contains essential information about Lyme and other tick-borne diseases needed by anyone beginning to learn about these infectious illnesses. It is written in a non-technical question-and-answer format and was reviewed for accuracy by knowledgeable members of Lyme Disease Association of SE Pennsylvania and by several prominent Lyme-literate physicians. 

The booklet addresses such concerns as:

• “How does one get Lyme disease?”
• “How does one know if she/he has it?”
• “What treatment may be required?”
• “What are some of the varied co-infections that may also be transmitted by ticks?”

Another important feature of the booklet is an excellent symptom checklist, organized around various body systems. 

“Lyme Disease: The Basics” is an excellent starting point for learning about the tick-borne illnesses that are increasingly prevalent  in Lyme-endemic Southeastern Pennsylvania as well as the rest of the United States.

How do people get Lyme disease?

Lyme disease (LD) or Lyme borreliosis is an infection caused by the species complex Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, a type of bacterium called a spirochete (pronounced spy-ro-keet) that is carried most commonly by ticks. An infected tick can transmit the spirochete to the humans and animals it bites. Untreated, the bacterium travels through the bloodstream, establishes itself in various body tissues, and can cause a number of symptoms, some of which are very severe or life threatening.

Who can get Lyme disease?

Persons of all ages and both sexes are equally susceptible, although the highest rates are in children up to 15 years of age and in adults 30 years and older.  The body does not maintain a natural immunity to the disease.  Thus, a person can be re-infected with the disease on subsequent tick bites. 

What does Lyme do to the body in the early stages?

LD manifests itself as a multi-system inflammatory disease that infects the skin in its early, localized stage, and quickly spreads to the joints, nervous system and, many other organ systems in its disseminated stages. If diagnosed and treated early with the proper antibiotics, LD prognosis is improved.  However, early detection is difficult when the characteristic rash is not present, and even those who are diagnosed and treated early may remain symptomatic and need long term treatment.

What happens if misdiagnosed or not treated properly?

Late, disseminated Lyme borreliosis is comprised of many debilitating symptoms and is considered difficult to treat by the medical community.   Late, disseminated borreliosis results from delayed or inadequate treatment.  The rate of disease progression and individual response to treatment varies from one patient to the next and can be disabling.  Some patients may experience persistent late stage Lyme disease and have symptoms for many months or even years, even with treatment.   Typically these are patients in whom Lyme disease was unrecognized in the early stages or for whom the initial treatment was inadequate. In some patients, late stage LD causes varying degrees of permanent arthritic joint or neurological damage or even death.

What makes treating tick infections so difficult?

Lyme disease is complicated by the fact that one tick bite can transmit many different tick borne illnesses, and testing can be inaccurate. Due to the vast range of symptoms present in Lyme, often times patients are misdiagnosed with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, depression, rheumatoid arthritis, ALS, Parkinson's, and other autoimmune conditions or neurological disorders.

Is Lyme disease a new disease?

Treating late stage Lyme disease is very challenging, and some are never cured.  While scientific knowledge of the bacterium and disease continues to grow, there is much that is still unknown.