What symptoms do you have? | Inflamed tick bite – what should you do?

What symptoms do you have?

If a tick bite has become infected, local symptoms such as redness and swelling initially occur. A painful restriction of movement of adjacent joints can also occur. If the inflammation spreads further, a generalized reaction of the immune system may occur.

This is mainly characterized by fever, but can also cause other flu-like symptoms such as headache and aching limbs, as well as tiredness and exhaustion. In case of a Borrelia infection, the so-called wandering blush can be observed occasionally. The redness spreads in a circular pattern, in the area of the bite the skin already fades away.

Pain does not normally occur with a tick bite at first. Instead, tick bites are usually accidental findings that are discovered on the body after a day in the forest, so they are usually conspicuous by the local inflammation with redness and swelling. Only when the inflammation has developed properly, the affected area can also hurt or itch.

If pain then occurs in neighboring joints or muscle and headaches, this can indicate that the inflammation is spreading. Fever and chills are symptoms that indicate a general immune response of the entire body. However, chills are a symptom that usually occurs when the fever rises.

Fever can occur when the tick bite spreads locally with simple germs from the skin, but more often it points to a more severe infection with TBE or Borrelia. Typically, headache and aching limbs occur simultaneously, so that the symptoms can also be confused with summer flu. If the body temperature rises again after a fever-free interval (after days to weeks), this may indicate that the pathogen is spreading in the body.

When do I need to see a doctor?

A tick bite does not always have to be seen and treated by a doctor.If you do not succeed in pulling the tick out completely, the remains (often the head remains stuck in the skin or there are still parts of the biting tool in the skin) should be removed by a doctor. In particular, signs of inflammation at the bite site (redness, swelling, overheating, pain, functional limitations of neighboring joints) should be seen by a physician, as they can be an indication of a bacterial or viral infection of the bite site. If fever or flu symptoms also occur, this is an indication that a doctor should be consulted.