Points of view: Lyme disease patients and physicians
Raffetin and colleagues explore the perceptions and experiences of Lyme disease patients in an article entitled “Perceptions, Representations, and Experiences of Patients Presenting Nonspecific Symptoms in the Context of Suspected Lyme Borreliosis.” [1]
High cost of treating Lyme arthritis in children with surgery
A study by Tout and colleagues investigated how operative management impacts the clinical course and health care costs of pediatric patients hospitalized with Lyme arthritis. “We hypothesized that surgery does not improve clinical outcomes for children with Lyme arthritis but does increase resource utilization and cost,” the authors wrote.
Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness (STARI) and Lyme disease
Dr. Daniel Cameron discusses the case of a 63-year-old woman with STARI (Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness) and provides a comparison with Lyme disease.
Case report: Powassan meningoencephalitis
Powassan virus (POWV) is a rare tick-borne infection which can lead to encephalitis, meningitis, and meningoencephalitis in humans. In this case report, the authors describe a 62-year-old man who developed "rapid deterioration of mental status including profound expressive aphasia and required intubation and high-dose steroids." The man later tested positive for the Powassan virus. [1]
Increase in tick bites during COVID-19 pandemic
In a recent article, “Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Reported Lyme Disease, United States, 2020,” McCormick and colleagues assessed how the pandemic might influence the risk of tick bites and affect patients seeking medical care and the reporting of Lyme disease cases.
Physician frustration with Lyme disease patients
In their study, “Primary care clinical provider knowledge and experiences in the diagnosis and treatment of tick‑borne illness: a qualitative assessment from a Lyme disease endemic community,” Mattoon and colleagues examined frontline and primary care doctor’s knowledge and practices for identifying patients with tick-borne diseases.
Mitral valve dysfunction from Lyme carditis
Lyme carditis is an uncommon but important manifestation of Lyme disease. In their study, Malik and colleagues describe the case of a young man with Lyme carditis with left ventricular dysfunction and valvular involvement occurring one week after a tick bite. [1]
Tick bite leads to multiple co-infections
In their case report “One man, three tick-borne illnesses” Grant and colleagues describe a 70-year-old man who was admitted to the emergency department with ongoing fevers, ankle edema and nausea. [1] One month earlier he noticed a small raised red lesion on his left ankle, which he believed was an insect bite.
Bell’s palsy due to Lyme disease misdiagnosed, patient bedridden
In their study “Bilateral Facial Nerve Palsy in a Young Woman From West Bengal: Do Not Forget Lyme Neuroborreliosis,” Kayal and colleagues describe the case of a 23-year-old woman, living in India, who was misdiagnosed with bilateral facial nerve palsy. [1]
Can Lyme disease cause bone loss?
Arthritis is a well-known manifestation of Lyme disease. And although studies have detected Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) by culture and PCR in bone and marrow of humans and dogs,¹ little is known about the effects of Bb infection on bone tissue, outside articular surfaces.
