SYMPTOMS OF LYME DISEASE
BITE
o Do you remember an attached tick? (Only 50% of
patents remember a tick bite) __Yes
o Do you remember a bite of an insect which
resulted in infecton? __Yes
Deer Fly__ Horse Fly__ Bot Fly __
Flea __ Mosquito __ Other __
RASHES
o Have you had an erythema migrans (EM) rash,
commonly called bull's-eye rash, with:
i) red border with central clearing __Yes
This rash may enlarge in a circular pattern from a
diameter of 1 cm to a diameter of 70 cm, and appear
4-90 days after a tick bite. Duration of this EM rash
averages 27 days (range is 4-100 days); however,
ones have lasted 2 years. Sometimes it is warm to the
touch.
ii) centrally darker __ Yes
iii) homogeneous, erythematous
(uniform reddish colour throughout) __ Yes
o Other skin lesions can occur:
i. Multiple blotchy, round, annular
skin lesions __ Yes
ii. Scaly (eczema-like) rash __ Yes
iii. A rash like "hives" __ Yes
iv. Malar rash - looks like
"flushed cheeks" __ Yes
v. Bluish-red swelling or nodule on ear
lobe of children, or on the
nipple/areola of breast. __ Yes
vi. A greyish-tan coloured, "scar-like" tissue with bluish-
red discoloration denoting arteries/veins which can
occur mainly on the back surface of hand and feet,
on legs or buftocks, and progress over many months
or years. (1-17 year duration recorded)
(ACA rash) __ Yes
vii. An acne-like rash __ Yes
viii. Measles-like rash __ Yes
ix. A blistering rash __ Yes
x. Any suspicious rash __ Yes
o LATE SYMPTOMS
Any combination of these symptoms may develop after
infection occurs. They may arise within a few days, or
years later.
NOT WELL
o Loss of sustained energy __ Yes
o Re-occurring "flu-like" symptoms __ Yes
o Overwhelming fatigue __ Yes
o Fevers, chills, sweats __ Yes
o Intolerance to cold/heat __ Yes
o Excessive thirst, frequent urination __ Yes
o Symptoms that wax and wane __ Yes
MUSCULOSKELETAL
o Muscle ache, backache __ Yes
o Muscles pulled into uncontrollable "knots" __ Yes
o Muscle spasm, twitching __ Yes
o "Heavy" feeling in legs __ Yes
o Joint ache, joint pain __ Yes
o Stiff joints, stiff creaking neck __ Yes
o Swollen joints, swollen hands or feet __ Yes
o Migratory joint/muscle ache & pain __ Yes
GASTROINTESTINAL
o Vomiting, nausea, diarrhea __ Yes
o Abdominal discomfort, decrease in appetite __ Yes
o Itchy anus __ Yes
o Weight loss/gain __ Yes
SKIN
o Itching __ Yes
o Formications
(feels like an insect crawling on skin) __ Yes
o Peripheral neuropathies, paresthesia __ Yes
o Burning pain __ Yes
NEUROLOGICAL
o Headaches, head pressure __ Yes
o Lightheadedness, dizziness __ Yes
o Loss of balance (ataxia) __ Yes
o Vertigo (whirling in head) __ Yes
o Twitching inside head __ Yes
o "Heavy" head, brain "fog"
(like it is filled with cotton batting) __ Yes
o "Spaced-out" feeling __ Yes
o Tremors, seizures, "insides" shake __ Yes
o Tingling sensations __ Yes
o Bell's palsy (face droops on one side) __ Yes
o Sensation of "pinched nerve" with pain
or numbness running down a limb __ Yes
o Disturbed sleep __ Yes
o Dementia __ Yes
NEUROPSYCHIATRIC MANIFESTATIONS
o More moody and irritable __ Yes
o Depression, anxiety __ Yes
o Feeling less able to cope __ Yes
o Feeling I'm going "crazy" __ Yes
COGNITIVE FUNCTION PROBLEMS
o Loss of concentration __ Yes
o Short-term memory loss __ Yes
o Inability to concentrate & comprehend __ Yes
o Letter/word reversal __ Yes
o Difficulty with synthesis of new information __ Yes
o Calculation difficulties __ Yes
o Disorientation, confusion, forgetfulness __ Yes
CARDIAC
o Heart palpitation __ Yes
o Heart block, cardiac arrest __ Yes
o Rapid & irregular heartbeat __ Yes
RESPIRATORY
o Sore throat __ Yes
o Persistent cough, non-productve cough __ Yes
o Rapid respiration __ Yes
REPRODUCTIVE
o Unexplained menstrual irregularity __ Yes
o Vulva & vaginal soreness __ Yes
o Sore breasts, infection &/or discharge __ Yes
o Testcular/pelvic pain __ Yes
o Loss of libido __ Yes
o Newborn - birth defects __ Yes
EYES
o Conjunctivitis __ Yes
o Difficulty focusing __ Yes
o Blurred vision, double vision __ Yes
o Sensitivity to bright &/or fluorescent light __ Yes
o "Lazy Eye" __ Yes
o Wandering eyeball __ Yes
o Prickly or itchy sensations, optic neuritis __ Yes
o Dry eyes __ Yes
o Difficulty reading __ Yes
o Blindness __ Yes
EARS
o Ear pain; ringing in ears __ Yes
o Hypersensitivity to loud noise __ Yes
OTHER SYMPTOMS
c Pain in chest __ Yes
o Rib soreness __ Yes
o Swollen/sore lymph nodes __ Yes
c Bladder infection __ Yes
Symptom sheet provided courtesy of:
Lyme Disease Association of Ontario
365 St. David Street South
Fergus, Ontario N1M 2L7
(519) 843-3646
Fax (519) 843-6550