COVID Vaccine Side Effects in Lyme Disease: A Case Study
Can COVID vaccination worsen Lyme symptoms?
A patient shares her vaccine experience.
The findings may surprise some readers.
Some individuals with Lyme disease worry that a COVID-19 vaccine may worsen their symptoms. This case study describes a 28-year-old woman with a long history of Lyme disease who received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and reported her experience following vaccination.
One of the most common questions from Lyme disease patients is whether a COVID-19 vaccine can worsen existing symptoms. This case provides insight into the experience of a woman with longstanding Lyme disease who received the vaccine.
A 28-year-old single white Latina woman with a history of a tick bite and erythema migrans rash who contracted Lyme disease while on vacation. She was not able to finish her college degree and was unemployed at the time of the survey. She had a positive IgG Western blot test for Lyme disease and was also treated clinically for Bartonella. She had been ill with Lyme disease since she was 16 years old. She was treated with Zithromax, Vancomycin, Levaquin, and IV ceftriaxone.
She had also been treated with vitamin C, fish oil, alpha lipoic acid, magnesium, glutathione, saunas and steam rooms, enemas, stem cells, and Zinc.
The woman remained ill despite treatment and reported having fatigue, insomnia, muscle pain, joint pain, migraines, seizures, general malaise, swollen glands, tachycardia, brain fog, concentration problems, mood swings, irritability, depression, as well as sensitivity to light, noise, and odors.
In May of 2021, she took the Pfizer vaccine. In response to the vaccination, she had a slight headache, some fatigue, and pain in her arm at the injection site. Her symptoms lasted less than 48 hours.
The patient’s symptom burden was substantial before vaccination and involved multiple neurologic, cognitive, and physical symptoms.
Her symptom burden is captured by the General Symptom Questionnaire-30 (GSQ-30), with a score of 43 out of 120, which was higher than for patients with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) but lower than patients with depression and Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS) (see below for interpretation of the GSQ-30 score).1
The worst symptoms on her GSQ-30 questionnaire were feeling fatigued or having low energy, trouble falling or staying asleep, needing more sleep than usual, not feeling rested on wakening, feeling worse after normal physical activity, back ache, muscle aches and pains, bladder discomfort or change in urination, feeling irritable, sad, or depressed, feeling panicky, anxious, or worried, trouble finding words or retrieving words, trouble with memory, and slower speed of thinking.
Persistent symptoms such as fatigue, pain, sleep disturbance, and cognitive difficulties are commonly discussed in our Persistent Lyme Disease Symptoms guide.
She did not feel her Lyme disease had worsened as a result of the vaccine. She strongly encouraged others to take the vaccine.
COVID vaccine side effects in a patient with Lyme disease
Key Findings
Question: Some individuals with a history of Lyme disease have expressed concerns that their Lyme disease symptom burden would increase if they were vaccinated for COVID-19. What is the clinical presentation of someone with a history of Lyme disease who has taken the COVID-19 vaccine?
Findings: This cross-sectional study reveals a high symptom burden in 1,168 individuals with a history of Lyme disease. The GSQ-30 measure of symptom burden for 616 individuals with a history of Lyme disease who were vaccinated against COVID-19 was significantly lower than the symptom burden for the 552 who were not vaccinated.
Meaning: Contrary to common concerns, the COVID-19 vaccine did not worsen the symptom burden for individuals with a history of Lyme disease. Instead, the symptom burden was significantly lower relative to those who were not vaccinated. However, it remains possible that a small number of individuals would have negative reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a COVID vaccine worsen Lyme disease symptoms?
In this case, the patient reported mild short-term side effects and did not feel her Lyme disease worsened following vaccination.
What side effects did the patient experience after the COVID-19 vaccine?
She reported a mild headache, fatigue, and soreness at the injection site that resolved within 48 hours.
What happened after this Lyme disease patient received the COVID vaccine?
She experienced mild vaccine-related symptoms but did not report any significant worsening of her Lyme disease symptoms.
Did the patient recommend COVID vaccination to others with Lyme disease?
Yes. Despite her longstanding illness, she strongly encouraged others to receive the vaccine.
Clinical Perspective
Patients with Lyme disease frequently ask whether COVID-19 vaccination will worsen their symptoms. While individual experiences vary, this case provides an example of a patient with longstanding Lyme disease who tolerated vaccination without significant symptom worsening.
Clinical Takeaway
This case highlights the experience of a woman with longstanding Lyme disease who received the COVID-19 vaccine. Although she had a substantial symptom burden related to Lyme disease, she reported only mild, short-lived vaccine side effects and did not feel her Lyme disease worsened following vaccination.
Individual responses to vaccination vary, but this case provides an example of a patient with persistent Lyme disease symptoms who tolerated COVID-19 vaccination without significant worsening of her illness.
Related Articles
Severity of Lyme disease in a COVID-19 pandemic
A 16-year-old girl and a 28-year-old woman with a history of Lyme disease shared their experiences after contracting COVID-19
The experiences of individuals with a history of Lyme disease who contracted COVID-19
28-year-old woman with a history of Lyme disease describes side effects following her COVID-19 vaccine
Side effects of COVID-19 vaccines in individuals with Lyme disease
References
- Cameron DJ, McWhinney SR. Consequences of contracting COVID-19 or taking the COVID-19 vaccine for individuals with a history of Lyme disease. Antibiotics (Basel). 2023;12(3):493.
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
The vaccine is harmful according to the release of side effects from the manufacture and its suppressed history thus far . Lyme patients have seen the CDC in action before with member charged over their conflict of interests. To endorse this vaccine at such a point in time only indicates we are at a very troubling point in time with medicine and big pharma .If you want to continue to be a puppet with cytokine storms and auto immune responses i would get it to .Its been 24 years for me with Lyme, the history of treatment that i have witnessed with my involvement in Occupational Health and Safety( corruption ) has educated me on how to follow the politics and this virus since day one. We had safe treatments other than the vax unfortunately like lyme disease it created an opportunity for investment and monetary reward rather than a humanitarian cure .The Theory of Plum Island is looking more feasible every day as humanity is plagued with greed and the need for power we are witnessing with a vaxxine that doesn’t work like any other vaxxine pushed upon the public . This article is disgrace ,Doctor Cameron .
Thanks for raising your concerns. This COVID-19 and Lyme disease Survey merely shares the experience of individuals with Lyme disease who contracted covid, or taken the vaccine or refused the vaccine. The next blog will reflect the concern of individuals with Lyme disease who have been hesitant or refused to take the vaccine.
Well said
The fact that vaccinated lyme patients were less ill than unvaccinated ones may just reflect the sicker patients’ inability to get out of the house to get vaccinated, or their lack of concern for contracting covid because they rarely leave their homes.
Great question. There were 616 individuals with a history of Lyme disease who were vaccinated. At least we know their experience. In other words, that group was at least not worse.
I AGREE !
Wow. People and groups will do anything to push this experimental injection onto people. I’m really disappointed in this take as there is much to be concerned about. this by all means it not a “one size fits all” experimental injection that modulates your DNA. With no proper testing. VAERS death reports have already exceeded all tested past vaccines combined so until there is factual time tested proof I will not be part of this experiment. I’ve read too many reports from the people who are pushing this multi billion dollar opportunity (for them) on the masses.
So grateful I passed on this horrendous shot. Someone told me they know a Lyme dr that said all his patients that took the shot are in relapse and he has no idea what to do. This dr – Cameron – was pushing them. Him and Horowitz. Shameful.