Estimates state that only one out of every ten cases of Lyme disease is reported and that many people are misdiagnosed.
Therefore, the 19,000 cases reported by the National Center for Infectious Disease (CDC) each year are more likely to be estimated at over 200,000 cases.
Lyme disease may be difficult to diagnose because many of its symptoms mimic those of other disorders. Lyme disease is often mistaken for other illnesses since the symptoms often mirror other medical problems, such as multiple sclerosis, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, lupus or Alzheimer's disease. In the some cases, Lyme disease patients can become paralyzed and/or comatose. Lyme disease symptoms may come and go and be replaced by new symptoms. Symptoms may be subtle or pronounced.
In addition, the only distinctive hallmark unique to Lyme disease, the "bulls eye" rash, is absent in over half of the people who become infected. Inadequacies of today's laboratory tests make proper diagnosis difficult, and if missed the disease is extremely troublesome to treat the infection in its later phases.
Lyme disease can attack virtually any system in the body. Some of the first symptoms may include a flu-like condition, with fever, chills, headache, stiff neck, achiness, and fatigue. Other symptoms can include pain in various joints and muscles, neurological problems, heart involvement, problems with vision or hearing, migraines, and low-grade fever.
