LYME DISEASE: A PATIENT'S GUIDE

Common Beliefs About Lyme Disease

False: Any tick bite can transmit Lyme disease

True: Only deer ticks and western black-legged ticks infected with the bacterium Borrelia burgorferi can transmit Lyme disease.


False: Everyone who gets Lyme disease gets a rash.

True: About 1/4 of patients with Lyme disease never get a rash.


False: Blood should be tested for Lyme disease as soon as possible after a tick bite.

True: Blood tests for Lyme disease usually cannot detect infection until about 2 to 6 weeks after the tick bite has occurred.


False: A positive ELISA test proves Lyme disease.

True: A positive ELISA test by itself never proves Lyme disease because the result can be a false positive.


False: All patients with Lyme disease should be treated with IV antibiotic therapy.

True: Oral antibiotic therapy is often just as effective in fighting Lyme disease as IV antibiotic therapy.


False: Lyme disease is incurable.

True: Lyme disease is a curable and preventable infection.

Search PIER® - Decision Support

ACP Members Only. Decision support for over 460 clinical topics.

Quality Improvement Programs: Our Quality Improvement programs strive to bridge the gap between research and practice.

Adult Immunization: Inform, Implement, Immunize: ACP's Immunization Outreach Program

Win a FREE MKSAP 15 Complete Package!

Win a FREE MKSAP 15 Complete Package
All Summer Session registrants who stay at our convention hotels will automatically be entered to win one of two FREE MKSAP 15 Complete Packages, valued at over $700 each!

Find out more

Time is Running Out!

http://www.acponline.org/i/promos/mksap15.gif
Order MKSAP 15 Now and Save 10%!

MKSAP 15 is coming July 31. Pre-order it
now and save 10%. Find out more and view the different formats on our MKSAP catalog page.