3 early warning signs of lyme disease

Warmer weather is settling in, bringing with it sunshine, foliage, and yes, ticks. That’s bad news for folks who enjoy spending spring and summer days outside. A big reason: Tick-borne

diseases are on the rise in the U.S. And a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that the most common type, Lyme disease, may be a greater burden than

previously estimated. In 2022, 62,551 cases of Lyme disease were reported to the CDC — that’s roughly 1.7 times the annual average logged between 2017 and 2019. The biggest jump in case

numbers was seen in older adults. In 2022, Lyme disease diagnoses among the 65-plus population were more than double what they were in previous years, the 2024 CDC report shows. A change in

how Lyme disease cases are reported and tracked helps explain this significant increase, at least in part, health experts say. Shifting climate patterns, suburban development and a greater

awareness among the public are also contributing to rising numbers. Despite this greater awareness, health experts say many cases of Lyme disease are missed early on, both by patients and

health care providers, putting a growing number of people at risk for long-term complications, including severe joint pain, heart palpitations, nerve pain and loss of muscle tone in the

face.  Here’s what you need to know about the early warning signs of Lyme disease, and what to do if you suspect you have it. 1. A RASH — BUT NOT EVERYONE GETS ONE It’s a common

misconception that everyone with Lyme disease will get a rash in the shape of a bull’s-eye, says John Aucott, M.D., an associate professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University

School of Medicine and director of the Johns Hopkins Lyme Disease Clinical Research Center. In fact, only 70 to 80 percent of people with Lyme disease get a rash in the days following a tick

bite, the CDC says. And only 20 to 30 percent have the “ring within a ring” rash, Aucott adds. Some people get a rash that’s round or oval, “but they’re often just uniformly red or reddish

blue,” he says. That’s why it’s crucial not to ignore a red skin lesion, even if it’s not a bull’s-eye. “If it’s round or oval and red and it gets bigger than a couple inches in diameter,

then that’s suspicious for the Lyme rash,” says Aucott, who adds that a rash can be difficult to see on people with darker skin. A rash can also be hard to spot if your tick bite was in a

less obvious place. “Ticks are smart; they learned where to hide,” says Ross Boyce, M.D., assistant professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at UNC School of Medicine.

“And so if they go to your hairline or someplace like that, you may not see the rash.”