These symptoms include sore throat, severe headaches and neck aches, and severe fatigue. The pains are described as severe, jumping from joint to joint or place to place, and may be present for only short periods of time. Recurring swelling of one or more joints may occur, especially the knees, ankles, and elbows. Pain in the teeth and in the temporal-mandibular joints is not uncommon. Patients may also experience muscle weakness, pain or soreness, and have cramps, fasciculations, or tremors.
Some patients have more muscle than joint symptoms.
Rarely is there any actual palsy of the affected areas, making this more of a neurosensory, than a motor, disease. A chronic encephalopathy commonly develops that may be manifested by somnolence, depression, memory loss, and other cognitive dysfunction. The aseptic meningitis and Bell's palsy tend to occur within the first few months following the tick bite. However, palpitations and tachycardia occur much more frequently, especially in chronic disease. The occurrence of optic neuritis or uveitis raises questions about the relationship to multiple sclerosis and other diagnoses.