Early Symptoms That May Occur in Acute Lyme Disease

Lyme disease, so called because it was originally recognized in Lyme, Conn., is caused by Borelia burgdorferi bacteria and is transmitted by ticks.

Rash

• Though not present in all Lyme cases, a bull's-eye rash may appear at the tick bite site and can occur within hours to months after the bite.

Headache

• A common side effect of early Lyme disease is a persistent or recurrent headache.

Fatigue

• Extreme fatigue is also a strong indicator of Lyme. It can range from the inability to arouse fully upon waking to tiring too easily throughout the day.

Flu-like symptoms

• Early Lyme disease can feel like the flu, with aches and pains and a general "run down" feeling. It's one of the symptoms that causes Lyme to be misdiagnosed as something else.

Fever

• Since Lyme disease is an infection, the body's natural defense is to produce a fever to kill it.