Lyme Disease and Related Tick-Borne Infections - Diseases with Similar Symptoms

(Page 2)

Allergic Reaction to the Tick. If a rash, even ring-shaped, appears hours rather than days after a tick bite, it is most likely an allergic reaction to the tick, not a symptom of Lyme disease.

Other Insect Bites. Not every rash seen in regions where Lyme disease is common is caused by a tick. The bites of many insects and spiders can cause a skin reaction.

Diseases or Syndromes Resembling Post-Lyme Disease Syndrome

A number of conditions cause chronic fatigue and joint and muscle aches that resemble descriptions of post-Lyme disease syndrome:

• Mononucleosis (this viral infection is common in adolescents)
• Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
• Fibromyalgia
• Depression (may include persistent fatigue and vague aches and pains)

---

---

Meningitis

The early neurologic symptoms of Lyme disease (headache, stiff neck, and fatigue) can easily be mistaken for viral meningitis. Children with viral meningitis are likely to have a higher fever. Most patients with Lyme disease often have other symptoms, such as the bull's-eye rash.

Review Date: 01/13/2011
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).