Duration and prognosis | Fever after a tick bite

Duration and prognosis

The fever after a tick bite usually disappears after a few days. For most of those affected, underlying infections such as TBE or Lyme disease also heal without further consequences. Occasionally, however, there are serious complications, such as the spread of the pathogen to the brain.

Nerve damage as well as encephalitis can occur and in the case of Lyme disease, the skin, heart and other organs can also be affected. The further the disease progresses, the more dangerous it can become. In the pronounced stage TBE and Lyme disease can be fatal.

Course of disease

Fever after a tick bite is usually an expression for an infection with TBE-virus or Borrelia. The TBE infection proceeds in two phases: After 7 to 14 days, flu-like symptoms with fever can occur. After a symptom-free phase, there is then a renewed rise in fever with meningitis.

Lyme disease, on the other hand, progresses in three stages. In the first stage, it comes locally at the bite site to wandering redness, fever, headache, aching limbs and itching can also occur. In stage II (early spread) acute nerve damage and heart muscle inflammation can occur.After months to years, the disease progresses to the third stage (neuroborreliosis), with joint problems, skin changes and inflammation of the brain.