Over 20% of Lyme Disease Patients Remain Ill After Treatment
A significant number of Lyme disease patients continue to experience symptoms despite standard antibiotic treatment.
Researchers analyzed 9,657 Lyme disease cases using electronic health records from a large health system in Pennsylvania.
The goal was to estimate how many patients developed persistent symptoms following treatment.
Persistent Symptoms After Treatment
The study found that:
- 22.8% of all Lyme disease cases had persistent symptoms
- 21.6% of laboratory-confirmed cases remained symptomatic
These findings are consistent with prior studies suggesting that up to 20% or more of patients experience ongoing symptoms after treatment.
Understanding PTLDS
Post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) is often described as a diagnosis of exclusion, based on persistent symptoms following treatment.
However, definitions vary, and some studies report even higher rates depending on criteria used.
For more, see persistent Lyme disease symptoms.
Limitations and Concerns
This study did not evaluate whether persistent symptoms could be due to ongoing infection or co-infections.
This raises important clinical questions about the underlying cause of continued illness in some patients.
Clinical Perspective
Persistent symptoms after Lyme disease are well documented across multiple studies.
Clinicians should carefully evaluate patients who remain symptomatic and consider a broad differential diagnosis.
Author’s note: The term PTLDS assumes infection has resolved, despite the absence of a definitive test confirming clearance. This may limit further evaluation in some patients.
Clinical Takeaway
More than 20% of Lyme disease patients remain ill after treatment, highlighting the need for continued clinical evaluation.
References:
- Moon KA et al. Epidemiology of Lyme disease in Pennsylvania. Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2018.
- Marques AR. Lyme disease review. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2010.
- Adrion ER et al. Health care utilization after Lyme disease. PLoS One. 2015.
Dr. Daniel Cameron, MD, MPH
Lyme disease clinician with over 30 years of experience and past president of ILADS.
Symptoms • Testing • Coinfections • Recovery • Pediatric • Prevention
I agree that more than 3 weeks of antibiotics is required to kill the bacteria. I have treated Lyme disease as Dr. Richard Horowitz teaches, and with good results….and I don’t understand why, when medical professionals treat other infectious diseases like TB and tertiary syphilis, for a year, and more… why the Wormser and his colleagues persist in insisting their fallacy is truth. Blessings on Dr. Cameron for shining the light and speaking out the truth.