Lyme disease is the leading tick-borne disease in the United States. It's caused by a type of bacteria found in animals like mice and deer. Ixodes ticks (also called black-legged or deer ticks) that feed on these animals can then spread the bacteria to people through tick bites.
Ticks are small and often hard to see. Immature ticks, called nymphs, are about the size of a poppy seed. Adult ticks are about the size of a sesame seed.
It's important to know and watch for signs of Lyme disease because ticks are hard to find and it's easy to miss a tick bite. Many people who get Lyme disease don't remember being bitten. The good news is that most tick bites don't lead to Lyme disease.
Lyme disease can affect different body systems, such as the nervous system, joints, skin, and heart.
Symptoms often happen in three stages (but not everyone has all three):
The rash sometimes has a "bull's-eye" appearance, with a central red spot surrounded by clear skin that is ringed by an expanding red rash. It also can look like an expanding ring of solid redness. It's usually flat and painless, but sometimes can be warm to the touch, itchy, scaly, burning or prickling.
The rash can look and feel very different from one person to the next, and might look like a bruise on people with darker skin. It expands over days to weeks, and eventually disappears. A person also may have flu-like symptoms such as fever, tiredness, headache, and muscle aches.
Lyme disease is usually treated with a 2- to 4-week course of antibiotics. Cases that are diagnosed quickly and treated with antibiotics almost always have a good outcome. A person should be feeling back to normal within several weeks after treatment starts.
Lyme disease is not contagious, so it can't spread from person to person. But people can get it more than once.
If you think your child could be at risk for Lyme disease or has been bitten by a tick, call your doctor. This is especially important if your child has:
There's no sure way to avoid getting Lyme disease. No Lyme disease vaccine is currently on the market in the United States.
To minimize your family's risk in the great outdoors:
If you use an insect repellent containing DEET, always follow the directions on the product label and don't overapply it. Place DEET on shirt collars and sleeves and pant cuffs, and only use it directly on exposed areas of skin. Be sure to wash it off when you go back indoors.
You should know how to remove a tick in case one lands on you or your child.
If you find a tick:
Tick bites usually don't hurt — and that can make it hard to find a bite early. So be on the lookout for ticks and rashes, and if you live in high-risk area, do a daily tick check on yourself and your kids.
Reviewed by: Elana Pearl Ben-Joseph, MD
Date Reviewed: 14-09-2015