Lyme Disease: The Top 10 Questions
How is Lyme disease diagnosed?
Diagnosis can be difficult as blood tests may not always detect a positive result. Thus, it is recommended that the patient undergo two types of blood tests including enzyme immunoassay (EI) and western blot. When both of these tests are positive, the physician can confirm a diagnosis of Lyme disease.
The accuracy of the tests will depend on the stage of the disease at which a person is tested. In the few weeks’ after infection, the tests are expected to be negative. Thus, the best time to test for Lyme disease is several weeks after infection occurs as it is when the tests are most precise.
