Lyme disease is transmitted to people by ticks of the Ixodes ricinus complex. Lyme disease symptoms are often described as happening in three stages. Some patients with Lyme disease feel like they have caught influenza – the symptoms may be:
• drowsiness
• headaches
• mild fever
• joint and muscle pains
• swollen lymph glands.
The size of the rash can range from between 2cm-30cm (0.7-12 inches) and in most people it expands over a period of several days or weeks. In up to a third of people with Lyme disease, the rash may be the only symptom. The arthritis of Lyme disease can look like many other types of inflammatory arthritis and can become chronic.
