Lyme disease
When to see your GP
You should see your GP if you develop any of the symptoms described above after being bitten by a tick, or if you think you may have been bitten. Make sure you let your GP know if you've spent time in woodland or heath areas where ticks are known to live.
Diagnosing Lyme disease is often difficult as many of the symptoms are similar to other conditions. A spreading rash some days after a known tick bite should be treated with appropriate antibiotics without waiting for the results of a blood test.
Blood tests can be carried out to confirm the diagnosis after a few weeks, but these can be negative in the early stages of the infection. You may need to be re-tested if Lyme disease is still suspected after a negative test result.
In the UK, two types of blood test are used to ensure Lyme disease is diagnosed accurately. This is because a single blood test can sometimes produce a positive result even when a person doesn't have the infection.
If you have post-infectious Lyme disease or long-lasting symptoms, you may see a specialist in microbiology or infectious diseases. They can arrangefor blood samples to be sent to the national reference laboratory run by Public Health England (PHE), where further tests for other tick-borne infections can be carried out.
Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dec 2018
Introduction
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread to humans by infected ticks.
Signs and symptoms of Lyme disease
Early symptoms Many people withearly-stage Lyme disease develop a distinctive circular rash at the site of the tick bite, usually aroundthree to 30 days after being bitten. This is known as erythema
When to see your GP
You should see your GP if you develop any of the symptoms described above after being bitten by a tick, or if you think you may have been bitten. Make sure you let your GP know if you've spent time in
How you get Lyme disease
If a tick bites an animal carrying the bacteriathat cause Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi), the tickcan also become infected. The tick can then transfer the bacteria to a human by biting them. T
Who's at risk and where are ticks found?
People who spend time in woodland or heath areas in the UK and parts of Europe or North America are most at risk of developing Lyme disease. Most tick bites happen in late spring, early summer and au
Treating Lyme disease
If you develop symptoms of Lyme disease, you will normally be given a course of antibiotic tablets, capsules or liquid. Most people will require a two- to four-week course, depending on the stage of t
Preventing Lyme disease
There is currently no vaccine available to prevent Lyme disease. The best way to prevent thecondition is to be aware of the risks when you visit areas where ticks are found and to take sensible precau
How to remove a tick
If you find a tick on your or your child's skin, remove it by gently gripping it as close to the skin as possible, preferably using fine-toothed tweezers. Pull steadily away from the skin without twis
"Chronic Lyme disease"
There has recently been a lot of focus on Lyme disease in the media, with much attention on people who've been diagnosed with "chronic Lyme disease". This term has been used by some people to describ
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