Lyme Disease Rash

Lyme Disease Rash
The first symptom of Lyme disease is the rash that spreads out from the site of the tick bite. If the bite is ignored and is not treated the bacteria spreads to other areas of the body.

Since the Lyme disease rash is the first stage of the disease, is can develop between 2 to 30 days after being bitten by an infected tick. The Lyme disease rash is also known as erythema migrans or bulls-eye rash. The rash starts off as a single circular red mark and it spreads outwards slowly over a period of days. The circle then expands and spreads outwards, and the skin turns pale in the inner part of the circle. This is why the rash is called 'bulls eye' rash. It is said that the rash cold expand up to 30cm.

Studies have shown that at least about 85 to 90 percent of people that develop Lyme disease get the skin rash. The rash is always easily identified.

The Lyme disease rash is not painful, scratch or itchy. The person who is bitten by the tick may not even notice it if the bite is not in a visible area of the body like the spine or the head. However, most patients are fooled when the rash disappears they think the infection has cleared from the body. If the Lyme disease infection is not treated the rash can spread to other areas of the body.

The Lyme disease rash can become very uncomfortable at times and may not produce other symptoms other than the redness. Some patients experience the redness and also suffer from burning sensation pain, and skin itch.

In addition to the skin rash other symptoms are also displayed by the person infected by Lyme disease, such as an overall bad feeling, headaches, fatigue and weakness, stiff neck, swollen lymph nodes, chills, muscle and joint pain, and fever.

The Lyme disease rash is often misdiagnosis. One such misdiagnosis is where the rash is usually the size of a quarter or silver dollar. Generally the rash may vary in size, color and overall appearance. There may be more than one red rash on the body, there could be several in all areas of the body. The rash could be oozy and crusty as well.

Therefore, precaution is better than cure, people who work with animals and live in wooded or bushy surrounding with long grass are likely to develop the Lyme disease rash, due to exposure to the bite of a tick or mite with the disease causing bacterium.