For instance, Lyme disease can cause problems with the nervous system that look like other diseases. These include symptoms of stiff neck, severe headache, and fatigue, usually linked to acute viral meningitis. They may include drooping of the muscles on the face called Bell's palsy, or weakness, pain, or numbness elsewhere in the body. Lyme disease can also mimic symptoms of other chronic, disabling diseases of the nervous system. A small percentage of people may develop difficulty in thinking and mood disorders.
Treatment is more difficult and less successful in later stages.
Lyme disease may cause other serious problems. It can cause heart problems, such as an irregular or slow heartbeat. Lyme disease can result in intermittent attacks of arthritis in a few large joints. A small percentage of people get a disabling, chronic type of arthritis that most often affects the knees. Researchers think the chronic arthritis of Lyme disease may be linked to how the body's defense or immune system responds to the infection.