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How Do I Know If I Have It?

The bull's-eye rash is distinctive. However, if there is no such rash, Lyme disease is hard to diagnose. It mimics other diseases, such as the flu and arthritis, and there is often a long time lapse between symptoms.

Your doctor will check for flu-like symptoms and take a sample of blood to check for a high antibody response to the disease. However, blood testing is not completely reliable. It is also not accurate in the early weeks of infection, when treatment should really begin.

Patients who have been cured often have positive blood tests for many years, raising the risk of misdiagnosis.

What Is the Treatment?

The treatment of choice for early-stage Lyme disease is a 21-day course of oral antibiotics, which usually kills the bacteria and prevents later symptoms. People treated early in the infection usually recover rapidly and completely.

Even if not diagnosed in the early stages, the disease can still be successfully treated with antibiotics. In some cases, the disease doesn't seem to respond to antibiotics. Those patients should consult a specialized Lyme disease clinic.

In some cases, antibiotics have been prescribed for people who have vague symptoms or fear they may have had a tick bite. This is controversial, however. Others who have a lot of anxiety and concerns after a tick bite may be given antibiotics to prevent Lyme disease. This is also controversial, and only done when the tick has been attached for at least 36 hours in a region with high Lyme disease activity.