Lyme Disease, both in acute and chronic form, is a terribly difficult illness to diagnose with standard blood tests. Thus, the political debate over who has it, who doesn’t, or if it even exists rages on. All the while the patient’s, who are clearly ill, still continue to suffer.
Medical textbooks agree that Lyme Disease remains a clinical diagnosis. This means that your doctor has to look at your symptoms, history and blood work to make a diagnosis. It doesn’t mean that a diagnosis should be made on the results of blood work alone.
Sympomology is extremely important. Here is the long list of symptom presentation of Lyme Disease:
Musculoskeletal/
Joint pain
Muscle pain and cramps
Muscle and joint stiffness
Reduced mobility
Loss of muscle tone
Back pain, stiffness
Neck pain, stiffness
Vertebral disc disease
Temporomandibular joint syndrome
Neurologic
Neuropathies
Encephalopathy
Paresthesias
Dizziness, vertigo
Cognitive disturbances
Cranial nerve disturbances
Attention deficit/Autism
Hypersensitivity to touch, sound, light, smell
Bell’s palsy
Tinnitus
Restless legs syndrome
Drooping eyelid
Transient blurred vision
Clumsiness
Depression
Insomnia, fatigue
Difficulty chewing or swallowing
Hallucinations
Headaches
Involuntary jerking or muscle twitching
Irritability
Poor balance
Sleep disturbances
Speech difficulty
Weakness of limbs
Cardiac
Palpitations
Arrhythmias
Shortness of breath
Tachycardia
Hypotension
Hypertension
New-onset heart murmur
New-onset chest pain
Abnormal ECG
Chest pain, tightness
Psychiatric (all new-onset)
Anxiety
Panic disorder
Irritability
Depression
Bipolar disorder
Obsessive-compulsiv
Endocrinologic
Low body temperature
Night sweats, chills
Symptoms of adrenal insufficiency (fatigue, muscle weakness, loss of
appetite, weight loss)
Flushing
Irregular menses
Loss of libido
Worsening premenstrual syndrome
Menstrual irregularities
Milky nipple discharge
Hypertriglyceridemi
New-onset hypothyroidism
Weight change (usually gain)
Gastrointestinal/
Abdominal pain and tenderness
Bloating, gas
Constipation
Food allergies
Urinary/bowel control problems
Nausea
Irritable bladder
Excessive thirst
Dysuria, polyuria, hematuria
Testicular/pelvic pain
Dyspareunia
Other
Easy bruising
Hair loss
Recurrent sinusitis
Sore throat
Tender glands
Tooth pain
Unusual rashes
Shooting pains throughout body
Sources: Burrascano. Advanced topics in Lyme disease. 2005
Rubel. Lyme disease symptoms and characteristics. 2005-2006