Lyme Disease-Topic Overview

Lyme Disease - Topic Overview

Lyme Disease Guide

• Topic Overview
• Cause
• Symptoms
• What Happens
• What Increases Your Risk
• When To Call a Doctor
• Exams and Tests
• Treatment Overview
• Prevention
• Medications
• Other Places To Get Help
• Related Information
• References
• Credits

The main treatment for Lyme disease is antibiotics. These medicines usually cure Lyme disease within 3 weeks of starting treatment.

It's important to get treatment for Lyme disease as soon as you can. If it goes untreated, Lyme disease can lead to problems with your skin, joints, nervous system, and heart. These can occur weeks, months, or even years after your tick bite. The problems often get better with antibiotics, but in rare cases they can last the rest of your life.

The best way to prevent Lyme disease is to protect yourself from ticks. Cover up as much skin as you can when you're going to be in wooded or grassy areas. Wear a hat, a long-sleeved shirt, and long pants with the legs tucked into your socks. And keep in mind that it's easier to see ticks on light-colored clothes.

Use a bug repellent that has a chemical (such as DEET, IR3535, or Picaridin) to keep away ticks. Check your pets for ticks after they've been outside. You can't get Lyme disease from your pet. But your pet can bring infected ticks inside. These ticks can fall off your pet and attach to you.

Learning about Lyme disease:	What is Lyme disease? What causes it? Can I prevent it? What are the symptoms? What happens in Lyme disease? What increases my risk for it?
Being diagnosed:	Who can diagnose Lyme disease? How is it diagnosed? What is a Lyme disease test? Can Lyme disease be misdiagnosed?
Getting treatment:	How is Lyme disease treated? What medicines will I need to take?
Ongoing concerns:	What complications can develop?