Lyme disease can develop following the bite of a tick infected with Borrelia bacteria. After the first skin signs, other later ones may appear.
Lyme disease can be transmitted to the man if it is bitten by a tick carrier of the Borrelia bacteria. THE first sign infection occurs in 30 days which follow the sting in the form of a erythema. You should not wait and consult your doctor to initiate treatment as soon as possible. antibiotic.
A red spot around the bite that doesn’t hurt
Erythema migrans is the first visible sign after a tick bite. This is a skin lesion that appears on the body at the site of the bite. This takes the form of‘an oval or round spot which can expand centrifugally to reach up to 30 cm in diameter. “This lesion does not hurt, is not hot and does not itch so it can easily go unnoticed depending on its location. This phase generally appears one week after the bite And can occur up to 3 months later“, explains Dr Alice Raffetin, coordinator of the Reference Center for Tick Vector Diseases, Paris and the North region. Hence the importance of monitoring the progress of a tick bite. There are no after-effects after erythema migrans. On the other hand, in certain cases, “erythema migrans can become multiple. Spots then appear in several places on the body“, she continues. When the erythema is not treated initially, the bacteria can migrate away from the bite: we are talking about disseminated forms.
A moderate fever
Lyme disease can be accompanied by fever but it is often not very high. Headaches may also appear from the start but are often linked to fatigue or when neurological damage exists.
A small lump on the earlobe
Lymphocytoma is a small red to purplish ball (nodule) of 1 to 3 cm in diametersometimes painful, can develop mainly at the level earlobe, nipple or testicles.
Red lesions on fingers or toes
A rare and late cutaneous form of Lyme disease, acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans corresponds to a skin lesion on the end of a limb (hand or foot), most often red to purplish, flat, complicated by an outbreak of edema. at the beginning, then atrophy of the skin in the very late phases.
“It has not been scientifically shown that the bacteria could become chronic”
Swelling of the knee
“When the bacteria is in the blood, it can lodge in several compartments of the body, notably the joints. Lyme disease affects mainly large joints like the knee. In the majority of cases, it swells enormously but is not necessarily painful: it is typical of Lyme arthritis“, continues our interlocutor.
Sciatica-like pain
Lyme disease can also present with symptoms of the neurological system For example, “radiculitis which occurs when the bacteria is placed at the level of the path of a nerve. This generates sciatica-like pain for example, occurring mainly at night and not responding to usual sciatica treatment. This should suggest neuroborreliosis.specifies Dr Alice Raffetin.
Facial paralysis (reversible)
Other characteristic neurological sign: facial paralysis which is sometimes accompanied by severe pain in the facial nerve. This is reversible thanks to treatment and most often leaves no after-effects.
All symptoms of Lyme disease are treated by antibiotics. The evolution is very favorable when the disease is diagnosed and treated early. Only the duration of treatment varies depending on the symptom:
- Erythema migrans: 10 to 14 days of antibiotics
- Lymphocytoma: 21 days of antibiotics
- Chronic acrodermatitis atrophicans: 28 days of antibiotics
- Joint damage: 28 days of antibiotics
- Neurological damage: 14 to 21 days of antibiotics.
Despite antibiotics, some patients may experience post-infectious symptoms as may be the case after a Covid or Chikungunia infection. “Some patients present immune cascades that lead to chronic joint pain, fatigue, tingling and yet all the exams are normal. These symptoms eventually disappear and 99% of patients recover despite the post-infectious syndrome. We sometimes hear that the bacteria becomes chronic but this has never been demonstrated by science. The whole challenge of research is to better identify the mechanisms of these deregulations in order to treat the patient as early as possible for these post-infectious symptoms“.
Thanks to Dr Alice Raffetin, coordinator of the Reference Center for Tick Vector Diseases, Paris and Northern region.