rices for general practitioners may vary according to the specialist. You can see the exact price on the general practitioner's own page or in the online booking by clicking on the doctor's name.
| Service | Price estimate | Info |
|---|---|---|
| Consultation visit, 20 min Price per visit. | from 95,80 € Without Kela reimbursement from 103,80 € Price estimate from 95,80 € Without Kela reimbursement from 103,80 € | Price per visit. |
| Consultation visit, 30 min Price per visit. | from 131,10 € Without Kela reimbursement from 139,10 € Price estimate from 131,10 € Without Kela reimbursement from 139,10 € | Price per visit. |
| Consultation visit, 45 min Price per visit. | from 173,60 € Without Kela reimbursement from 181,60 € Price estimate from 173,60 € Without Kela reimbursement from 181,60 € | Price per visit. |
Revised 2/9/2026
Published 3/3/2025
Borreliosis, or Lyme disease, is caused by Borrelia bacteria which is carried by ticks and can be transferred to the skin through a tick bite or, rarely, through a horse fly bite. The risk of transmitting Lyme disease from a tick to the skin only increases significantly after the tick has been attached to the skin for 24h. As early Lyme disease can be treated effectively with antibiotics, it is important to know how the disease spreads and what the symptoms are.
According to estimates, 3,000–4,000 people in Finland contract early-stage Lyme disease each year. If the early stage is not treated with antibiotics, approximately half of the patients develop later symptoms of the disease, which can be diverse and severe and cause permanent changes.
Early-stage symptoms of Lyme disease are typically skin changes. Lyme disease is accompanied by erythema migrans, which is a circular rash. Sometimes a red or blue soft lymphocytoma, a benign tumour, may appear on the skin. Symptoms of arthritis may also be associated with the early stage.
You should see a doctor if you notice early-stage symptoms of Lyme disease, as they can usually be treated with antibiotics.
If Lyme disease is left untreated at an early stage, the bacteria can spread from the skin to other parts of the body. The symptoms of late-stage Lyme disease are diverse and can occur in one or more organs after weeks, months or even years. The skin, brain, nerves and joints are the most common areas affected by the disease.
Lyme neuroborreliosis is a disease that causes inflammation in the central nervous system. Lyme neuroborreliosis can develop quite quickly, within weeks or months of a tick bite and Lyme disease infection.
The most common neurological symptoms caused by Lyme disease are a tearing pain in the limbs and body, which are caused by the bacteria nesting in the nerve roots originating from the spinal cord. Borrelia bacteria can also infect nerves that stem directly from the brain, such as the facial, auditory and optic nerves. Facial palsy is one of the most typical neurological manifestations of Lyme disease.
The progression of Lyme disease can often be prevented with medical treatment, even if the symptoms of late-stage Lyme disease have persisted for a long time. Permanent changes caused by the disease, such as nerve damage, can be difficult to repair.
Lyme disease differs from many other bacterial infections in that the course of the disease is usually not particularly severe. Inflammation can progress slowly for years while the patient is living a relatively normal life. The same person can repeatedly contract Lyme disease. Even if antibodies are formed in the body, they do not protect against disease recurrence.
Laboratory tests support the information and symptoms reported by the patient. The most common laboratory test for Lyme disease is the measurement of antibodies to Lyme disease in a patient’s blood sample.
The formation of antibodies in the early stages of the disease is low, so antibody testing only reveals a little over a third third of the cases. Early-stage erythema migrans is, therefore, usually diagnosed solely on the basis of the appearance of the rash.
If a bite has not been detected and a ring-shaped rash does not develop, early-stage Lyme disease almost always remains undiagnosed. If Lyme disease bacteria remains in the human body for a longer period of time, antibodies can develop.
Antibody testing is crucial in the diagnosis of late Lyme disease. If the patient has symptoms related to the brain or nerves, antibodies are tested in the spinal fluid sample in addition to blood.
The biggest problem with an antibody test is its uncertainty. The test may be positive, but it does not indicate whether an infection is ongoing or whether the antibodies indicate a previous infection that has already healed. In addition to antibody tests, a culture and duplication of Borrelia DNA can be used, but unfortunately they are complex and time-consuming tests.
The results of laboratory tests are saved in OmaMehiläinen. You can access OmaMehiläinen via the app or the online service. Read more about OmaMehiläinen.
We recommend discussing the test results with a physician. A physician will provide you with a professional interpretation of the results and instructions for any necessary follow-up treatment. Book an appointment with a general practitioner.
Early-stage Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics. The inflammation is almost completely cured when the oral antibiotics are started during the skin change phase.
The aim is to concentrate the treatment of late-stage Lyme disease in central hospital-level locations. Late-stage Lyme disease requires longer-term treatment, often starting with intravenous antibiotics followed by oral antibiotics.
If the treatment of Lyme disease is prolonged, it is often referred to as chronic Lyme disease. Despite long-term treatment, some patients may experience partially unchanged symptoms or relapse after treatment. The symptoms may continue in the brain, for example, if the tissue damage has already caused changes that cannot be repaired.
Lyme disease can also trigger a so-called autoimmune reaction, in which the body’s defence mechanisms cause damage in its own tissues. This means that the symptoms of the disease can continue even if the Lyme disease bacteria has already been eliminated with antibiotics.
In Finland, Lyme disease occurs in the same areas as ticks. The most cases have been found in the coastal regions of the Åland Islands, southwestern Finland and southern Finland. Cases also occur elsewhere in Finland, except in Lapland.
The first cases of Lyme disease were diagnosed in Finland in the 1980s, but it has occurred in Europe for at least a hundred years. In America, Lyme disease is the most common disease transmitted by ticks. Lyme disease is also very common in Central Europe and Sweden.
The best way to prevent Lyme disease is to protect yourself from tick bites. There is no vaccine against Lyme disease for humans available. TBE vaccine is commonly referred to as a tick vaccine, but it only protects against tick-borne encephalitis, not against Lyme disease.
Tick checks should also be carried out regularly on any pets that move outdoors, as ticks can travel with the pet indoors and infect people.
Borreliosis, or Lyme disease, is caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria carried by ticks. The disease can be transmitted to the skin through a tick bite or, rarely, through a horse fly bite.
Lyme disease is mainly diagnosed based on the information provided by the patient and their symptoms. The most important information is the time spent in the tick-populated areas as well as possible tick bites and related rashes. The patient is asked to provide information for several years, as symptoms of late-stage Lyme disease may appear even after years. Laboratory tests can be used to support the information and symptoms reported by the patient.
It is very possible that blood tests do not show Lyme disease in the early stage of the disease. The formation of antibodies is low in the early stage of the disease, and antibody testing only detects a little over a third of cases. If Lyme disease bacteria remains in the human body for a longer period of time, antibodies can develop. Antibody testing is crucial in the diagnosis of late Lyme disease.
Borreliosis (Lyme disease) can be transmitted through a tick bite and, rarely, through a horse fly bite. The risk of Lyme disease increases considerably after a tick has been attached to the skin for 24h.
No. Lyme disease cannot be transmitted from one person to another.
Early-stage symptoms of Lyme disease are typically skin changes. Lyme disease is accompanied by erythema migrans, which is a circular rash. Sometimes a red or blue soft lymphocytoma, a benign tumour, may appear on the skin.
You should see a doctor immediately, as early-stage inflammation can usually be treated effectively with antibiotics.
If Lyme disease is left untreated early, it can spread from the skin to other parts of the body. Late-stage symptoms are diverse and often severe. Symptoms may appear in one or more organs weeks, months or even years after infection. In addition to skin symptoms, the disease can also cause symptoms in the brain, nerves, joints and heart.
The first symptoms of Lyme disease may start, at the earliest, a couple of days after the tick bite. However, the symptoms usually start within a week or two, but the skin changes can also appear later. Late symptoms may appear weeks, months or even years after infection.
No, it does not. There is no vaccine against Lyme disease. The so-called tick vaccine (TBE vaccine) only provides protection against tick-borne encephalitis. The best way to prevent Lyme disease is to protect yourself with clothes when walking in natural environments and to carry out regular tick checks.
In Finland, Lyme disease occurs in the same areas as ticks. However, not all ticks are carriers of Borrelia bacteria, and the proportion of infectious ticks varies greatly in different areas. The most cases have been found in the coastal regions of the Åland Islands, southwestern Finland and southern Finland. Cases also occur elsewhere in Finland, except in Lapland.
