Lyme Disease Stages, Timeline, & Progression

Learn the Stages of Lyme Disease

Lyme disease occurs in three stages: early localized, early disseminated and late disseminated. However the stages can overlap and not all patients go through all three. A bulls-eye rash is usually considered one of the first signs of infection, but many people develop a different kind of rash or none at all. In most cases, Lyme symptoms can start with a flu-like illness. If untreated, Lyme disease symptoms can continue to worsen and turn into a long-lived debilitating illness.

When Do Symptoms of Lyme Disease Appear?

Stage 1: Early Localized Disease

Symptoms with early localized (or acute) Lyme disease may begin hours, a few days or even weeks after a deer tick bite. At this point, the initial

infection has not yet spread throughout the body. Lyme is the easiest to cure at this stage with help from your health care provider, a blood test, and antibiotic treatment.

Early Stage Symptoms may include:

Erythema Migrans, skin rash, which may or may not look like a bull’s eye
flu-like illness, including chills and fever
fatigue
headache and stiff neck
muscle soreness and joint pain
swollen lymph nodes
sore throat

Stage 2: Early Disseminated Lyme

Early disseminated Lyme may occur several weeks or months after the black-legged tick bite. The bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi is beginning to spread throughout the body. In addition to flu-like symptoms, this stage is often characterized by increase in typical symptoms such as:

chills
fever
headaches
fatigue
pain, weakness or numbness in the arms, legs
vision changes
Lyme carditis, heart problems, such as palpitations, chest pain
rash may appear on body
facial paralysis (Bell’s palsy)

Stage 3: Late Disseminated Lyme Disease

Many have asked, do you ever get rid of Lyme disease or other tick-borne illnesses? Do I have chronic Lyme disease? Can Lyme disease return? If Lyme disease isn’t promptly or effectively treated in the first two stages, late disseminated (post-treatment, chronic, or neurological) Lyme occurs weeks, months or even years after the tick bite. The bacterial infection have spread throughout the body and nervous system, and many patients develop chronic Lyme arthritis as well as an increase in neurological and cardiac symptoms. More severe symptoms may include: