Chances of a cure for Lyme Disease

Once infected with Lyme disease, the likelihood of a cure is greatest if the infection is diagnosed and treated quickly.  If you consult your doctor immediately after a tick bite and the appearance of erythema migrans, the chances of a cure are 85 to 100 percent.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of sufferers who can't remember ever having had a tick bite. Symptoms often don't appear until months or even years after infection. The likelihood of a cure is much smaller at this late stage or when the disease has become chronic. The symptoms may become permanent, especially around the joints.

Duration of treatment and renewed testing are important

If Lyme disease is not treated for long enough, the medication may suppress the symptoms but these will reappear at a later stage. This is why it's advisable to perform another test eight to twelve weeks after beginning treatment. A patient can be classified as cured if he has no symptoms for two years and another blood test is negative.

New infection with Lyme disease is possible at any time

No matter what method of treatment is chosen: infection with Lyme disease and its subsequent treatment do not make the patient immune to Lyme disease. Another infection can occur at any time.

The faster an Infection with Lyme disease is discovered and the treatment started, the higher are the chances of healing.

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