Chronic Lyme Disease Symptoms

Lyme disease is caused by the bite of a black-legged or deer tick. The bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi is responsible for the infection. Common chronic Lyme disease symptoms include headache, fatigue, fever and skin rash. If not treated in time, Lyme disease becomes chronic in nature.

The following are some of the chronic Lyme disease symptoms:

Third Stage
Chronic Lyme disease is also called third stage or late stage Lyme disease. This can result from an inaccurate diagnosis or ineffective treatment. The Lyme Disease Research Database has suggested that chronic disease can result from incomplete killing of the bacteria. Also the conditions may be suitable for bacterial growth. Abandoning treatment midway can also contribute to chronic disease. Certain symptoms may recur after months or years.

Arthritis
Chronic lyme disease can lead to arthritis, which causes pain of the joints. It also causes stiffness of the knees, hips, elbows, and shoulders. Other smaller joints such as wrists, fingers, and toes might also be affected. Stiffness of the neck is also common. Pain in the ribs and chest is possible in worse cases.

Chronic fatigue syndrome
Chronic fatigue is characterized by extreme fatigue that is not alleviated by rest and sleep. Physical activity or exertion may worsen the condition. Other symptoms of the disease include joint pain, headache, sore throat, and tender lymph nodes, especially in the armpits and neck.

Nervous disorders
Some of the neurological problems associated with Lyme disease include numbness, tingling, itching, and burning or crawling sensations. Other symptoms include Bell’s palsy, aseptic meningitis, encephalitis, and encephalopathy, which is characterized by memory loss, depression, anxiety and problems related to cognition.

Cardiac problems
Irregular heartbeat or arrhythmia is a common chronic Lyme disease symptom. Inflammation of the lining of the heart or pericarditis also occurs. In extreme cases, it can cause heart failure. This is in accordance with research conducted by Maryland Medical
Center.

Others
Other chronic Lyme disease symptoms include blurred vision, visual impairment, ringing in the ears, palpitations of the heart, shortness of breath, stomach ache, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, pain in the pelvis, and urinary incontinence. Intrauterine infection is common among pregnant women. It is also possible that the disease is transferred from the mother to the fetus, especially in the first trimester.

Chronic Lyme disease seldom caused death. But, the symptoms can be dilapidating. The disease is best combated in the early stages.

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