Testing

Lyme disease can be difficult to diagnose because many of its symptoms mimic those of other conditions. In addition, the only distinctive hallmark unique to Lyme disease, the erythema migrans rash, is absent or is unnoticed in up to one fourth of the people who become infected. Although a tick bite is an important clue for diagnosis, most patients cannot recall having been bitten recently by a tick. This is not surprising, because the tick is tiny and the bite painless.

Choose another disease or condition... Allergic Rhinitis Allergies, Food Allergy & Asthma Center Alzheimer's Disease Anxiety Aortic Aneurysms Arrhythmia Arthritis, Osteo- (OA) Arthritis, Rheumatoid (RA) Asthma Atopic Dermatitis Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Back Pain Brain Tumor Bones, Joints & Muscles Center Breast Cancer Brain & Behavior Center Brain Tumor Cancer Center    Brain Tumor    Breast Cancer    Cancer Prevention    Clinical Trials    Colorectal Cancer    Endometrial Cancer    Living With and Beyond Cancer    Lung Cancer    Prostate Cancer    Skin Cancer Cardiomyopathy Cataracts Cholesterol Control Clinical Trials Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Colorectal Cancer Congenital Heart Disease Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Crohn's Disease Depression Diabetes Center Diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Digestive Disorders Center Eczema Endometrial Cancer Erectile Dysfunction (ED) Eye & Vision Center Fibromyalgia Food Allergies Gallstone Disease Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) GERD Glaucoma Hay Fever Headache Heart Center Hepatitis A Hepatitis B Hepatitis C High Blood Pressure Hypertension Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Impotence Insomnia Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Living With and Beyond Cancer Losing Weight Lung Cancer Macular Degeneration Memory Loss Osteoarthritis (OA) Osteoporosis Parkinson's Disease Peptic Ulcer Prediabetes Prostate Cancer Respiratory Disorders Center Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Sexual & Reproductive Health Center Shingles Sinusitis Skin Cancer Sleep Apnea Sleep Center Stroke Type 1 Diabetes Type 2 Diabetes Ulcerative Colitis (UC) Weight Control NIH Medline Database on Lyme Disease Lyme disease information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention American Lyme Disease Foundation National Guideline Clearinghouse Email this page Print this section

When a patient with possible Lyme disease symptoms does not develop the distinctive rash, doctors will rely on a detailed medical history and a careful physical examination for essential clues to an alternative diagnosis. These clues include history of a tick bite, exposure to tick-infested areas, the onset and type of symptoms, and ruling out other diseases that might cause those symptoms.

This section contains more information on:
Lab tests