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Lyme disease - what to ask your doctor

What to ask your provider about Lyme disease; Lyme borreliosis - questions; Bannwarth syndrome - questions

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that is spread through the bite of one of several types of ticks. The disease can cause symptoms including bull's eye rash, chills, fever, headache, fatigue, and muscle pain.

Below are some questions you may want to ask your health care provider about Lyme disease.

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Questions

Where on my body am I most likely to get a tick bite?

• How large are ticks and tick bites? If I have a tick bite, will I always get Lyme disease?
• Can I get Lyme disease even if I never noticed a tick bite on my body?
• What can I do to prevent getting tick bites when I am in a wooded or grassy area?
• In what areas of the US am I more likely to get a tick bite or Lyme disease? At what time of the year is the risk higher?
• Should I remove a tick if I find one on my body? What is the proper way to remove a tick? Should I save the tick?
• How can I protect myself from tick bites and Lyme disease?

If I get Lyme disease from a tick bite, what symptoms will I have?

• Will I always have symptoms soon after getting Lyme disease (early or primary Lyme disease)? Will these symptoms get better if I am treated with antibiotics?
• If I do not get symptoms right away, can I get symptoms later? How much later? Are these symptoms the same as the early symptoms? Will these symptoms get better if I am treated with antibiotics?
• If I am treated for Lyme disease, will I ever have symptoms again? If I do, will these symptoms get better if I am treated with antibiotics?

How can my provider diagnose me with Lyme disease? Can I be diagnosed even if I do not remember having a tick bite?

What are the antibiotics used to treat Lyme disease? How long do I need to take them? What are the side effects?

Will I have a full recovery from my Lyme disease symptoms?

Is there a vaccine for Lyme disease?

Related Information

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Lyme disease. www.cdc.gov/lyme/index.html. Updated January 19, 2022. Accessed October 14, 2022.

Steere AC. Lyme disease (Lyme Borreliosis) due to Borrelia burgdorferi. In: Bennett JE, Dolin R, Blaser MJ, eds. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 241.

Wormser GP. Lyme disease. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 26th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 305.

Review Date: 7/21/2022  

Reviewed By: Frank D. Brodkey, MD, FCCM, Associate Professor, Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

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