Every year, hundreds of thousands of people are bitten by ticks, and in some cases, those bites can transmit diseases that can lead to serious and even life-threatening health risks. If you suspect that you or a loved one has been bitten by a tick, the following tips and information can help you identify potential symptoms and risk factors as well as key actions and consideration to help you get the most effective diagnosis and treatment.
Always be sure to contact your healthcare provider as soon as you can if you recognize any signs or symptoms of a possible tick-borne illness.
Tick bite risk factors
Ticks can generally be found where the animals they feed on live. It’s a good idea to take precautions and do tick checks if you are:
- Working or playing in wooded or grassy areas
- Hiking in shorts, sandals or other clothes that make it easy for ticks to attach to bare skin
- Sleeping in rustic or rodent-infested dwellings
Got a bug bite? Is it from a tick?
Unless the tick is still attached, it can be hard to tell if a bite is caused by a tick or other bug. A few tick bite-specific signs to look for include:
- Pain or swelling at the bite area
- Bite located on the neck, scalp, groin, underarms or legs
- Possible rash
- Single bite versus multiple bites
Remove the tick
If you see a tick still attached to the skin, remove it immediately. Follow these steps from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to safely remove a tick.
- Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible.
- Pull upward with steady, even pressure. (Do not twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth-parts with tweezers. If you are unable to, seek help from your healthcare professional.)
- After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.
- If possible, save the tick and send it in for testing.
- Always avoid smashing a tick or crushing it between your fingers because it could release more toxins into your body, which can further expose you to potential infectious diseases.
Are ticks and tick-borne illnesses near you?
Although ticks exist in all 50 states and hundreds of countries around the world, certain regions have higher tick populations—and incidences of tick-borne diseases. The following maps highlight which regions may put you at higher risk for certain illnesses.
Recognize the symptoms
Symptoms of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases like Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever can masquerade as ALS, MS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Autism, and other illnesses. If you have been diagnosed and just aren’t getting better, consider whether it is possible you have been bitten by a tick.
Use this Symptom Checker to determine if your symptoms could indicate a tick-borne illness.
Confirm diagnosis with lab tests
Because many tick-borne diseases present symptoms that can be similar or even identical to other illnesses, doctors may prescribe specific lab tests to confirm diagnosis. Typically, these tests are designed to detect specific antibodies or DNA in the blood to determine which pathogen you may be infected with.
IGeneX offers full panels of lab tests for the tick-borne diseases common in North America, including Lyme disease, Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever, and more. These tests are more accurate and sensitive than those recommended by the CDC and have helped many patients find the answers they needed to get treated for tick-borne diseases. If you think you’ve been bitten by a tick, learn more about testing with IGeneX today.
