Stage 3 Lyme Disease

Lyme disease comes from the bite from a tick infected with the borrelia burgdorferi bacterium. If the disease progresses to stage 3, this advanced stage of Lyme disease shows up with more severe symptoms that are sometimes difficult to treat.

Identification

• The initial signs of Lyme disease include an expanding rash at the site of the bite, joint pain, fever and fatigue.

Symptoms

• Symptoms of stage 3 Lyme disease include arthritis, numbness in the arms and legs, and confusion. Late-stage symptoms take weeks or months to appear after the initial bite.

Discovery

• Blood tests that diagnose Lyme disease include ELISA and the Western-blot blood test. If you believe you have symptoms of Lyme disease, doctors may request these tests to confirm diagnosis.

Warning

• The results from blood tests that diagnose Lyme disease are not reliable during the first month after infection. Those with early symptoms of Lyme disease often begin treatment without a positive test.

Treatment

• For those with stage 3 Lyme disease, doctors usually recommend a course of antibiotics taken either orally or by IV. Depending on the severity of Lyme disease, some standard antibiotics eventually stop working, which makes treatment difficult.