Lyme borreliosis in the classic case runs in several stages:
Symptoms of stage 1: (skin phase)
after days to weeks, in the majority of Lyme disease cases (approx. 60-80%) a skin rash appears around the bite site, where one can usually recognise a beginning Lyme disease It is called erythema chronicum migrans. At the beginning of the Lyme disease, it is only visible as a small red spot or elevation.
Within several days, the erythema chronicum migrans develops into a ring-shaped reddening of about 5-15 cm, whereby it is often observed that the reddening occurs centrally. This is called ring phenomenon. The fact that not all patients with borreliosis experience a local skin reaction is explained by four different subspecies of Borrelia burgdorferi.
Buzzard
First of all it is important to say that not every tick bite causes a Lyme disease infection. Only in 1.5-6% of the cases a transmission of the bacterium from the tick to humans takes place and only in further 0.3 – 1.4% the person actually falls ill with Lyme disease, according to the Robert-Koch Institute. Furthermore, not every tick is a host for the borrelia.
The probability of an infection depends on the duration of the bite, because the ticks transfer the bacterium to humans only at the end of the sucking act. However, if the infection has taken place, migratory flush is the earliest symptom (stage 1) that occurs after a tick bite. It becomes noticeable approximately 3 to 16 days after the infection.
At first, a red ring forms around the bite, which spreads slowly centrifugally and affects an increasingly large area. The migratory redness is accompanied by other unspecific symptoms, as can also occur with influenza: fever and chills, headache and fatigue, nausea, back and joint pain. As it is easy to confuse it with a summer flu, it is important to observe the tick bite in its course so that the skin change is noticed in time and quickly.
Sometimes it can also lead to the formation of bluish rough skin nodes with a diameter of several centimetres = lymphadenosis cutis benigna In addition to the skin symptoms, symptoms such as slight fever, headaches and muscle aches can occur. This first stage can last for an average of six months and then disappear without treatment. If the findings are unclear, various diagnostic measures can help to confirm the suspected diagnosis of “Lyme disease”.
Symptoms of stage 2: (spread phase)
Weeks to months after the tick bite, the borreliosis pathogen spreads throughout the entire body with severe flu-like symptoms, such as high fever, severe headaches and aching limbs and meningismus (meningitis). In this phase of Lyme disease, 50% of the patients develop erythma migrans (migrare lat. for wandering, therefore also called wandering redness).
A further 80% of patients with borreliosis develop meningo-radiculitis, i.e. an inflammation of the nerve roots (Bujadoux-Bannwarth syndrome), which is very painful and is accompanied by neurological deficits (e.g. loss of sensitivity of certain skin areas) This can lead to confusion with a herniated disc, for example. As a much rarer but better known symptom, facial paresis (partial facial paralysis) can occur.
The facial nerve innervates the facial musculature. If it is damaged, this can manifest itself, among other things, in a drooping corner of the mouth or the inability to frown. . Furthermore, Lyme disease can lead to wandering arthritis (inflammation of the joints, especially the knee joint) or carditis (inflammation of the heart), which can lead to heart failure (cardiac insufficiency).
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